About the Department

The Economics and Spatial Polict Department of the Maritime Institute at the Gdynia Maritime University is a centre of competence in research on the economics of water transportation. It specializes in research projects on maritime transport, cost analysis, and the environmental impact of maritime activities, which are carried out under international programs such as Interreg Baltic Sea Region, Interreg South Baltic, and Horizon 2020.

In modelling and estimating transport costs, the Department has developed an innovative simulator within the INCONE60 project (https://simulator.incone60.eu/), which enables comprehensive estimation of the costs of various transportation stages. This simulator proposes optimal transportation paths, considering both economic and environmental benefits.

The Department is also actively involved in digitizing processes related to the operation of maritime infrastructure, developing solutions to facilitate communication between ports, shipowners, maritime agents and ship crews. These activities are aimed at the efficient management of maritime infrastructure.

In addition, the Department conducts research in aquaculture and marine resources, aiming to strengthen the region's role as a centre for promoting innovation in the "blue economy." It focuses on increasing the transfer and implementation of modern technologies based on the marine ecosystem's local resources, supporting the maritime industry's development and the sustainable use of marine resources.

The Economics and Spatial Policy Department plays an important role in research on efficiency, economics and sustainability in the maritime industry, contributing to the advancement of maritime transport and the promotion of innovative solutions in the "blue economy" sector.

With regard to spatial planning, the Employees of E&SPD helped develop the first spatial development plan for Polish maritime areas. Recently, they have been involved in the monitoring and evaluation process of the Polish MSP, commissioned by the Polish Maritime Offices and creating expertopinions regarding the use of marine areas.

In recent years, the Department has has been expanding its database and has been working on GIS tools to support decision-making and consultations. Also, the E&SPD is creating a model for monitoring the spatial planning of marine areas and for a seamless implementation of maritime plans. Its specialists have been involved in several EU research projects on maritime spatial planning or maritime resources usage, e.g., BaltSeaPlan, Submariner, PartiSEApate, BaltSpace, BalticBlueGrowth, BalticLINes, BalticIntegrid, BalticScope, PanBalticScope, BalticRIM, Capacity4MSP, eMSP, MSP4Bio.