Interferry & Events
DG GROW director-general tours Bursztyn Unity at Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa
Portal Morski reports that Kerstin Jorna, director-general of the European Commission's DG GROW, visited Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa on 15 October and toured the Ro-Pax Bursztyn Unity. The paper says more than 90% of the ship's equipment comes from European suppliers.
Source: Portal Morski (opens in a new tab)
Portal Morski reported on 18 October 2026 that Kerstin Jorna, director-general of the European Commission's DG GROW, visited Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa on 15 October. She toured the Ro-Pax ferry Bursztyn Unity, built at the yard, and spoke with the management about the competitiveness of European shipbuilding, financing investment, pressure from China, and European supply chains. Katarzyna Kaczkowska, economic adviser at the European Commission Representation in Poland, was with her. The visit lasted more than two hours.
The two went on board Bursztyn Unity. Portal Morski says more than 90% of the ship's equipment comes from European suppliers. That includes engines and fuel installations from Wärtsilä, propulsion units and electrical power systems from ABB, and Ro-Ro equipment, including ramps and doors, from MacGregor. The paper says the Polish yard was one of two in Europe which, in mid-2026, were carrying out orders from Western owners for large ferries of this type, above 10,000 gross tons. Citing Shippax data, it says that of 28 such ships then in production, only two were being built in Europe in that period, Bursztyn Unity in Poland and one in Italy, and that the other 26 were being built in China.
Jorna said it is not enough to support a single company, and that the whole supply chain has to be looked at. Michał Habina, president of Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa, said owners should have concrete financial benefits from ordering ships at European yards. Jorna said that work is already under way. She pointed to European instruments that limit investment risk, including InvestEU, and to work with banks, including BGK, and said EU mechanisms should take on part of the risk that commercial banks are not willing to bear alone. Bartosz Znyk, a member of the yard's board, said Bursztyn Unity has more than 800 kilometres of cable because of the Safe Return to Port rules, and that without those requirements about 250–300 km would have been enough.