Gdynia Maritime University GMU

On Tuesday 3 June 2025, Gdynia Maritime University’s training and research vessel, Horyzont II  left port in Gdynia for Spitsbergen with 15 crew members, 19 student cadets from the Faculties Electrical Engineering, together with their tutor, 1 student from the Faculty of Navigation, and 12 polar scientists from the Institute of Geophysics at the Polish Academy of Sciences headed for Spitsbergen. The ship was bid farewell by HM The Rector of Gdynia Maritime University, Professor Adam Weintrit, and the Director of the Maritime Operations Department, Captain Dariusz Jellonnek, as well as the family and friends of those on board.

Under the command of Captain Ryszard Durlik, Horyzont II departed with its cargo from the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Geophysics Institute from Cutter Quay in Gdynia from where it will reach the Svalbard Archipelago in eight days. The ship will then call at the locations of Polish research stations, stopping in Hornsund, Longyearbyen, Kaffioyra and Bellsund, and calling at Hornsund a second time before making its return journey to Gdynia. 

The expedition will give the students on board an excellent opportunity to experience their chosen profession in practice. In addition to practical training, the Horyzont II will also deliver fresh supplies of food, fuel, and other materials necessary for the operation of Polish research stations and research equipment. The voyage will also see a change of research personnel throughout the Polar stations, with the research staff on board replacing those who have been in the Arctic for the past year.