A little over a year after the launch of the hull of the first ferry for Polish shipowners built at the Gdańsk Remontowa Shipyard, another similar ceremony took place there: the finished hull of the second Ro-Pax of this series was lowered into the water.

The launch of the hull of the car-passenger ferry (Ro-Pax) is an important moment in the work on the unit. The vessel being built at the Gdańsk Remontowa Shipyard named after J. Piłsudski bears the construction number NB101. This is the second of three (optionally four) ferries ordered by the Polskie Promy company for the needs of Polish shipowners - Unity Line and Polferries. A key element of the project is the construction of ships in a Polish shipyard. It is intended not only to increase the competitiveness of Polish shipping lines in the Baltic Sea, but also to present the capabilities of the domestic shipbuilding industry.

Financing problems solved

On Tuesday, December 10, a little over a year after the launch of the hull of the first of the ordered ferries, the launch of the second, twin ship took place. A large group of invited guests appeared at the ceremony at the shipyard dock, including representatives of the central and local government authorities: Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Mieczysław Struk, Pomeranian Voivode Beata Rutkiewicz, President of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, MPs Agnieszka Pomaska and Jarosław Wałęsa. The hosts were also present, including the president of Grupa Remontowa Holding Adam Ruszkowski and the president of Gdańska Stocznia "Remontowa" Michał Habina.

In a short speech, Adam Ruszkowski thanked everyone involved in the project, but emphasized that its continuation would not have been possible without the involvement of Deputy Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka, who was responsible for creating a new project for financing the construction.

– Unfortunately, the project financing plan adopted by the previous government did not stand the test of time, causing constant growth in payment difficulties, as well as the threat of the project being stopped altogether – said President Ruszkowski. He said that talks on the new financing project dragged on for many months. In the end, however, it was possible to develop a plan that would allow for the completion of financing of the first ferry, launched last year, as well as the next one.

Deputy Minister Marchewka himself recalled that the project of building ferries for Polish shipowners has been ongoing for eight years and began with the infamous keel laid in one of the shipyards in Szczecin. Meanwhile, the situation on the Baltic Sea has changed during this time.

– In recent years, Polish shipowners have lost their competitive position on the Baltic Sea, where they used to have a dominant position. The competition has already built new ferries that are of higher quality, cheaper to operate and can take more trucks and passengers on board – said Arkadiusz Marchewka. He added that one of the first pieces of information he received after taking up the position of deputy minister concerned 10-month delays in payments for the construction of ferries. – The assumptions of this project, prepared by my predecessors, were so poorly made that nothing simply fell into place. We immediately got to work to create this project anew. Thanks to the hard work in the Ministry of Infrastructure, in the Ministry of State Assets, we took action to ensure financing for the first vessel. This has practically been done. Now we are finalizing the process of financing the second one – said Marchewka.

Marshal Mieczysław Struk also addressed the audience, focusing on thanking the shipyard workers and emphasizing the importance of the event from the perspective of the region's economy. Paweł Pluto-Prądzyński, president of the board of the investor, Polskie Promy company, also mentioned resolving the problems with financing the construction.

New ferries are the last resort

After the speeches, Michał Habina, president of GSR, gave the order to start the launch by flooding the dock. At this point, water slowly began to pour into the dock, and the entire structure was lowered very slowly. The launching process using this technology takes several hours. After achieving buoyancy, the hull was towed out of the dock and moored at the quay, where further work on the Ro-Pax will be carried out. The work schedule for the coming weeks includes, among other things, the installation of the superstructure.

The hull of the NB102, which was placed in the dock, was constructed from six blocks. Two of them were built in the Gdańsk Shipyard "Remontowa". They house the power plant, LNG tank and thrusters with a mooring and anchoring system. The remaining blocks were constructed by subcontractors: Marine Projects, Montex, Remontowa Shipbuilding and Holm. The hull is already equipped with a cryogenic tank, four generators, two azimuth thrusters, a large part of the machinery in the engine room, pipelines and mooring winches.

The superstructure, which will be installed in the coming weeks, was built in seven parts at the Holm, Montex and Stal Complex shipyards.

During the ceremony, everyone gathered expressed hope that the third hull of the ferry will be launched next year. The contract between Polskie Promy and the shipyard concerns the construction of three ships, the fourth is an option. The decision on using this option has not yet been made.

All three ordered ferries will be chartered by the investor to Polish shipowners. Unity Line lines belonging to Polska Żegluga Morska are to operate the first and third, while the newly launched vessel is to be delivered to Polferries Polska Żegluga Bałtycka. The optional fourth ship would also sail in the colors of this shipowner. The first of the Ro-Paxes is to be handed over to the ordering party next year.

The ferries are to be modern and low-emission, powered by LNG engines with battery assistance. They will be 195.6 m long and 32.2 m wide. Their cargo line is to be 4,100 m long. The decks and cabins will accommodate 400 passengers and 50 crew members.

Paweł Pluto-Prądzyński emphasizes that the construction of the ferries is the last chance for Polish Ro-Pax shipowners to catch up with the competition on the Baltic Sea.

- I think this is the last resort. We are a bit late anyway. The competition is not sleeping, it is one step ahead of us, but I think that with these ferries we will take three steps forward and overtake them - says the president of Polskie Promy.

Deputy Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka informed earlier about the problems with financing the project, but this is the first time the scale of the confusion has been publicly revealed. The shipyard was cut off from funds for 10 months, yet it continued to work according to schedule.

- The lack of project financing was a huge problem, because the shipyard has to fulfill the contract, buy equipment, buy devices, pay shipyard workers and subcontractors - says Grzegorz Landowski, Communications Director at Remontowa Holding. - The shipyard continued to work, even though it should have stopped producing these ferries. What's more, it produces them according to schedule. Despite serious difficulties, the shipyard fulfilled this contract, while at the same time holding talks at many of the highest levels of government. Fortunately, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it will become a real beacon remains to be seen, for now everyone is optimistic. Financing for the first vessel, the one that was launched last year, has been unblocked, and at the moment it is practically being completed. Financing for the second ship has also been arranged, and it is also to be for the third, so we are optimistic - says Landowski.