Poland moves closer to building its first cable laying vessel for offshore wind sector

Poland’s offshore wind industry has taken another significant step toward building domestic maritime capabilities for the rapidly growing Baltic Sea market. Industrial Development Agency (ARP S.A.) and TFK Group have signed letters of intent with PGE Baltica and ORLEN Neptun regarding cooperation on the installation and servicing of subsea power cables for offshore wind farms using a dedicated Cable Laying Vessel (CLV).

The initiative is expected to become one of the most important industrial projects supporting local content development within Poland’s offshore wind supply chain.

Signed on 20 May 2026 in Warsaw, the agreements confirm the willingness of key Polish energy and industrial players to jointly develop strategic offshore infrastructure capabilities at a time when demand for specialized cable installation vessels across Europe continues to grow rapidly.

Baltic offshore expansion drives demand for specialized vessels

The accelerating development of offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea has significantly increased demand for highly specialized cable laying and cable repair vessels. At the same time, the availability of such units on the European market remains limited, creating growing pressure on project schedules and installation capacity.

Against this backdrop, the construction of a Polish-owned CLV is increasingly seen as a strategic move aimed at strengthening the domestic offshore supply chain while reducing dependence on foreign operators.

ARP S.A. and TFK Group are currently finalizing preparations for the construction project, which is intended to support offshore developments in the Baltic Sea and potentially other European markets.

The idea of creating Poland’s first cable laying vessel was originally initiated by Wojciech Balczun during his tenure as President of ARP S.A. He now serves as Poland’s Minister of State Assets.

Local content becomes key priority

According to Wojciech Balczun, offshore wind investments should generate long-term industrial value for domestic companies and the wider Polish economy.

- Construction of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea is one of the key investments ensuring an efficient transformation of Poland’s energy sector. Such a massive project should be implemented to the greatest possible extent by Polish companies, which will simultaneously expand their competencies. Cooperation between ARP S.A., TFK Group, PGE Baltica and ORLEN Neptun in building the first Polish cable laying vessel creates a synergy of experience and enables the development of new industrial capabilities. It is an example of an effective partnership in which state-owned companies cooperate with Polish business, strengthen the local supply chain, increase the share of domestic capital in strategic investments and create jobs, said Wojciech Balczun, Minister of State Assets.

The current management board of ARP S.A. has confirmed that the project remains one of the agency’s strategic industrial initiatives.

- Development of offshore wind energy in Poland with the participation of domestic shipowners will significantly increase the use of local resources and competencies. Such a cooperation model will maximize local content during the second phase of offshore sector development while strengthening the position of Polish companies in the global market of highly specialized offshore service vessels, said Daniel Ryczek, Acting President of ARP S.A.

Offshore developers seek stronger domestic supply chain

For offshore wind developers, strengthening local technical capacity is becoming increasingly important as project timelines tighten across Europe.

- This partnership responds to the need to support domestic participation in strategic energy investments where the state offers investors a stable support mechanism. In offshore wind, such a mechanism is provided through long-term Contracts for Difference guaranteeing electricity prices. Project schedules in offshore wind are already under significant pressure, which is why strengthening technical capabilities within the local supply chain is so important for us. We hope for the vessel to be built and certified for offshore operations as quickly as possible. From the perspective of ORLEN Neptun, which is developing the Baltic East and Baltic West offshore wind projects, maintaining implementation pace and meeting growing market expectations is crucial, said Janusz Bil, President of ORLEN Neptun.

PGE Baltica also emphasized the strategic importance of the initiative for Poland’s offshore ambitions.

“The signed letter of intent clearly confirms our support for the construction of the first Polish cable laying vessel and demonstrates real interest in utilizing the unit within PGE Baltica offshore projects. It also shows that Polish energy companies are capable of joining forces for the benefit of Poland’s offshore wind sector. We all want to see a Polish-built vessel become a domestic asset strengthening local content in Baltic offshore wind projects,” said Bartosz Fedurek, President of PGE Baltica.

Cable manufacturing expertise supports the project

TFK Group and its international subsidiary JDR Cable Systems are also expected to play a major role in the initiative.

- The dynamic growth of offshore wind requires further strengthening of domestic offshore competencies. As a manufacturer of onshore and subsea cables for the renewable energy sector, we have participated in international projects for years and continue to observe the growing importance of initiatives supporting efficient offshore project execution, said Piotr Mirek, Member of the Management Board of Tele-Fonika Kable and Executive Director for Supply Chain and Investments at JDR Cable Systems.

The CLV project may ultimately become an important catalyst for the development of new competencies within the Polish shipbuilding industry. According to market participants, Polish shipyards already possess both technological capabilities and relevant experience necessary to construct this type of highly specialized vessel.

Beyond offshore wind

While offshore wind installation and servicing will remain the vessel’s primary mission, the future Polish CLV could also be deployed for subsea interconnector projects, power transmission infrastructure and other subsea cable operations.

This broader operational profile could significantly increase the vessel’s utilization rate both in Poland and across international offshore markets.

With Europe facing a shortage of cable laying vessels amid accelerating offshore wind expansion, the construction of Poland’s first CLV may become one of the most strategically important maritime-industrial projects supporting the country’s offshore energy ambitions in the coming decade.