Gdynia Maritime University GMU

The 16th International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation TransNav 2025, which was ceremonially inaugurated in the T. Meissner Auditorium at Gdynia Maritime University on 11 June has now come to an end.

The Conference, organised by the Faculty of Navigation at Gdynia Maritime University and The Nautical Institute, was opened by its founder, HM The Rector of GMU, Professor Adam Weintrit:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to TransNav 2025, the 16th International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation, jointly organised by the Faculty of Navigation at Gdynia Maritime University and The Nautical Institute. Welcome to Gdynia. Welcome to Poland. Thank you all for coming. I believe that the 16th TransNav 2025 International Conference will serve as a good discussion platform for safety at sea, maritime security, and protection of the maritime environment. I wish you an enjoyable and productive visit to Gdynia. Special thanks to our partners, sponsors, volunteers and members of the Organising Committee for their hard work, especially Professor Tomasz Neumann, Executive Chair of the TransNav Conference and Dean of the Faculty of Navigation.

During his opening address, the Rector underlined the scale of the event, which this year has brought together representatives from 83 countries. Among them he mentioned members of the Scientific Committee, authors of submitted papers, reviewers, chairs of individual sessions, speakers and participants, sponsors, as well as partners representing countries from all over the world, including  Albania, Algeria, Angola, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macao, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam. 

Professor Adam Weintrit also indicated that among the participants at the 16th cycle of the conference were:

Rectors of higher education institutions, deans, directors of institutes and departments, scientists, researchers, professors, lecturers and students, master mariners, skippers, sailors, and representatives of international organisations [...].

Taking part in the opening ceremony on behalf of the Nautical Institute was Captain David Patraiko, Director of Research and Projects.

Those in attendance also had the opportunity to listen to the words of Captain Trevor Bailey, President of the Nautical Institute, who prepared a recorded video address for the occasion in which he briefly spoke of the changes in maritime navigation during the time of his career at sea. He highlighted advancements such as the widespread adoption of radar, the evolution of ARPA to the point where it became widely available, user-friendly, and mandated for carriage, as well as the development of satellite navigation and autopilots on board ships. He also spoke of the opposing views on whether there is still the need to teach astronavigation and should the navigators of our times rely solely on GPS.

During the opening ceremony, guests also listened to a specially prepared speech by the Minister for Infrastructure, Dr Arkadiusz Marchewka:

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the organisers of this event for creating [...] a platform for experts from around the world to share scientific research, research that has a tangible impact on the maritime industry. I look forward with great interest to this year’s edition of the conference – the research results you have prepared concerning aspects of navigation, safety, and maritime transport will undoubtedly be a subject of discussion for many months if not years to come. The insight you will present at this most innovative global conference will undoubtedly contribute to meeting the challenges currently facing the maritime transport sector. 

The three-day conference is aimed at researchers and specialists, providing a platform for the exchange of experiences and research findings related to navigation, maritime safety, and sea transport. The event addresses contemporary challenges related to waterborne transport, navigation, and shipping, as well as the mobility of people and goods in the context of energy, infrastructure, environmental protection, maritime safety, and economic issues.

As part of the opening ceremony, HM The Rector, Professor Adam Weintrit, presented awards which have been conferred annually since 2019. The Ulisses Award – for outstanding service and involvement in the activity and popularisation of The Nautical Institute, co-organiser of the event, was granted to Professor Vladimir Torskiy from Ukraine.

The Hevelius Award – for outstanding service in the development of navigation - was granted to Professor Andrzej Felski.

The opening ceremony of the conference also included a performance by the GMU Choir.

The first day of the event culminated with a ceremonial gala, attended by the conference participants and invited guests, during which HM The Rector of Gdynia Maritime University, Professor Adam Weintrit, informed those gathered of the appointment of honorary fellows to the International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation TransNav 2025 committee. Among them were: Professor Witold Kazimierski (Poland), Professor Tadeusz Pastusiak (Poland), Professor Adam Przybyłowski (Poland), Professor Andrzej Stateczny (Poland), Professor Janusz Szpytko (Poland), Professor David Brčić (Croatia), Professor Marcel-la Castells i Sanabra (Spain), Professor Dimitrios Dalaklis  (Greece), Professor Thomas Pawlik (Germany), and Professor Arnaud Serry (France). The gala included live entertainment from the men’s shanty songs choir Zawisza Czarna.

This year’s International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation TransNav is took place at two locations: the main Gdynia Maritime University building at ul. Morskiej 81-87 and at the Faculty of Navigation at Al. Jana Pawła II 3 in Gdynia.

Among the topics addressed during 33 thematic sessions, 3 poster sessions and 2 plenary sessions, over 200 experts from around the world discussed issues related to cybersecurity, autonomous shipping, green shipping, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), offshore technologies, and more.

The final day of the conference took place on 13 June 2025. Participants visited the GMU Centre for the Offshore Industry, which opened its doors in February 2024, as they were informed by HM The Rector, Professor Adam Weintrit. They were also introduced to the history of the Wisłoujście Fortress, as well as the history of one of the most important places for Pomerania and Poland – Westerplatte – where the Second World War began on 1 September 1939. There was also a chance to visit the historic old town of Gdańsk – once the biggest Hanseatic city in Central and Eastern Europe.

The next TransNav conference is planned for 2027.