On 23 August, the General Assembly of the Polish Shipowners’ Association (ZAP), an organisation of the country’s most important shipping companies, met in the Senate Hall of the Maritime University of Szczecin. The main point of the meeting was the election of new authorities of the association.

The following were elected for another two-year term of office: Dariusz Doskocz, CEO of Polska Żegluga Morska (Polish Steamship Company), as President, and Jacek Wiśniewski, President of Euroafrica Services Ltd and Piotr Redmerski, President of Polska Żegluga Bałtycka S.A., as Vice-Presidents. Marcin Talwik – vice-president of Żegluga Polska S.A. of the PŻM Group – became the ZAP’s Secretary General.

During the meeting at the Maritime University of Technology, among other things, the ZAP Board’s report for 2023 was adopted. As highlighted, last year ZAP representatives participated – as the employers‘ side – in the deliberations of the Tripartite Team for Shipping and Sea Fisheries, which focused on the following topics: draft amendments to the Maritime Labour Act, draft amendments to the Tonnage Tax Act, seafarers’ social insurance, personal and corporate income tax.

ZAP Board members participated in a number of maritime-related events in 2023, both at home and abroad.  On 16-17 May in Madeira, Portugal, a member of the Board of the Polish Shipowners’ Association (current Secretary General), Marcin Talwik, participated in the Madeira Maritime Week maritime industry meeting, while on 25-26 June in the Philippine capital Manila he took part in the conference “Shaping The Future of Shipping – Seafarer 2050” and on 19-20 September in Brussels in the European Shipping Summit. On 10 October, at the ongoing Maritime Cyprus 2023 shipping conference, the full ZAP board met with a delegation from the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, led by Thomas Kazakos, the chamber’s long-time secretary.

However, the most important event for the Polish Shipowners‘ Association in 2023 was the organisation’s return to the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA). The General Assembly of the European Community Shipowners‘ Association ECSA on 14 December 2023 decided to accept the Polish Shipping Association (PSA), a joint organisation of the Polish Shipowners’ Association (ZAP) and the Polish Association of Shipping Entrepreneurs, into its ranks. The Polish Shipping Association officially became a full member of this prestigious organisation as of 1 January 2024. At the same time, the ECSA General Assembly accepted Marcin Talwik as a new member of the Council (Board) of the European Community Shipowners’ Association ECSA.

In 2024, the ZAP Board continued its dialogue with the maritime administration and local authorities in order to create friendly conditions for maintaining the competitiveness of the fleet under shipowners’ management. Cooperation with trade unions on seafarers‘ and officers’ employment issues (within the framework of the Tripartite Team for Shipping and Sea Fisheries) as well as with other non-governmental organisations (the National Chamber of Maritime Economy, the Promotion Office of ŻMBZ, maritime clusters, the Sea Captains’ Club and others) is carried out.  Working meetings are held with MPs and senators of the Republic of Poland. ZAP also intervenes on an ongoing basis on issues raised by its members. Constant contact is maintained with the media on matters relevant to the maritime industry and to promote ZAP’s activities.

The current statutory objectives of the Polish Shipowners’ Association include active participation in creating the state’s maritime policy, striving to create conditions for the Polish transport fleet to be competitive on international shipping markets, creating a rational system of financing tonnage investments, participating in legislative processes concerning maritime transport, foreign cooperation through participation in international maritime organisations and popularising the maritime economy.

ZAP is a member of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) in Brussels, an association of employers – Employers of the Republic of Poland, cooperates with the National Chamber of Maritime Economy in Gdynia and the Association of Short Sea Shipping Promotion Bureau in Szczecin. ZAP also works to promote the seafaring profession and a more active role for women in it.