Poland has “a real chance to dominate the Baltic Sea,” the country’s prime minister has said, lauding naval modernization plans and new partnerships as “crucial” to strengthening NATO’s presence in one of Europe’s most strategically sensitive regions.
Donald Tusk made the remarks on Tuesday during a visit to the PGZ Naval Shipyard in Gdynia, a major Polish port on the Baltic Sea, where three modern frigates and a specialized rescue vessel are being built as part of flagship investment programs.
The visit coincided with events marking the 100th anniversary of Gdynia’s establishment as a city.
“Our shipbuilding industry really has development prospects. Poland today has a real chance to dominate the Baltic Sea and this is our ambition,” Tusk said at a commemorative event.
“A key role in this process is played by Gdynia. This port city, from the very beginning a symbol of modernity and openness to the world, is now becoming part of an important geopolitical project in the Baltic Sea, crucial for the security of Europe and Poland.”
Vulnerable sea
The Baltic Sea, home to some of Europe’s most critical undersea infrastructure—including power cables, telecommunications networks and gas pipelines—has become a growing potential flashpoint between Moscow and the West since Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The region has experienced at least 11 undersea cable incidents since late 2023, some of which Western intelligence officials have linked to Russia’s so‑called “shadow fleet,” a flotilla of underinsured, aging oil tankers with opaque ownership structures used to circumvent Western sanctions.
Last year, NATO launched a new operation called Baltic Sentry, under which member states agreed to deploy patrol ships, surveillance aircraft and naval drones to deter further sabotage in the region.
Poland’s ‘reborn maritime power’
Continuing, Tusk said that a key pillar of Poland’s naval overhaul is the Orka submarine program. Last November, the government announced it would purchase Swedish firm Saab’s A26 Blekinge‑class submarines under its Orka program in a deal worth around 10 billion zlotys (€2.36 billion).
The submarines, touted by Saab as the world’s first fifth‑generation submarine, are among the most advanced non‑nuclear vessels in Europe, designed for stealth operations in the shallow waters of the Baltic.
The procurement marks a major step forward in Poland’s effort to modernize its naval fleet, which currently operates only one such vessel—the Soviet‑era ORP Orzeł.
“Our reborn maritime power consists both of the joint NATO operation Baltic Sentry and of the development of our ports and fleet,” Tusk said.
“Our increasingly close cooperation with Sweden, but also with Norway, Finland and the Baltic states, is becoming absolutely crucial for the security of Europe and Poland and for the functioning of NATO in the region,” he added.