Polish Ocean Lines with new ro-ro vessel – POL Stella
Maris will have Stella to pair with it. Polish Ocean Lines from Gdynia has acquired another ro-ro vessel from the second-hand ship market. As we have unofficially learnt, today – Monday, 26 July, in Rotterdam – is to be the start of a few days or so of the inherently complex process of taking over the vessel from its previous owner. The vessel, hitherto known as Hatche, is to be named POL Stella.
It is a sister ship to the ro-ro vessel POL Maris (ex Qezban), which was purchased by Polskie Linie Oceaniczne in September last year.
The renewal of the fleet of the Polish Ocean Lines (PLO), led by CEO Dorota Arciszewska-Mielewczyk, comes after an earlier period of many years of underfunding by the state-owned owner and stagnation in the condition of the fleet.
POL Maris, despite the change of ownership (from Turkey’s Alternative Tasimacilik AS, Ekol Group), has remained under charter to Stena Line BV (the Dutch branch of the Swedish group). It is highly likely that POL Stella has also been purchased with a charter in progress.
More details can probably be expected from the Gdynia-based shipowner in the coming weeks.
The process of taking over the vessel, involving the ship’s crew and the shipowner’s office staff intensively, includes changing the crew and taking over responsibilities, numerous formalities, inspections of the vessel and, finally, changing the name on the vessel’s side.
An additional difficulty is the fact that the vessel has no downtime, all the procedures related to the takeover of the vessel take place in parallel with the normal operation of the vessel – its work in the shipping line regime.
PLO’s new acquisition sails on the line Rotterdam (Europort) – Immingham (Humber Sea Terminal – Killingholme).
Built in 2009. (at the Danish shipyard Odense Staalskibs, Lindo) the cargo ro-ro POL Stella (ex Hatche) has a gross tonnage of 29,004, a deadweight of 11,636 tonnes and a ro-ro cargo lane of 3663m.
The fleet owned and/or managed by state-owned shipowner Polish Ocean Lines has long consisted of three vessels (with a short break – after the sale of Zeran and before the acquisition of POL Maris). With the acquisition of the 2009-built ro-ro POL Stella, PLO’s own fleet (i.e. not including the vessel only managed – Port Gdynia) increases from two to three vessels (Chodziez, built in 1988, POL Maris, built in 2010, POL Stella) and its average age falls from 22 years to 18.7.
rel. PBS/ PortalMorski.pl
