B-355 / H. CEGIELSKI
Container ship H. CEGIELSKI (type B-355)
Keel laid: 8 April 1986
Launched: 28 May 1987
Delivered: 10 August 1988
State-of-the-art cellular container ships, the first ones built in a Polish shipyard for a Polish shipowner and for many years the last vessels built in a Polish shipyard to sail under the Polish flag. Their being placed in service gave hope for the thorough modernisation of the Polish line fleet. Unfortunately, the political and economic changes after 1989 forced the shipowner to sell three vessels that had already been handed over and to cancel an order for a fourth.
Technical specifications:
capacity: 30,488 GRT, 9684 NT; 23,473 DWT, 1939 TEU;
dimensions: 202.45 x 31.0 x 9.2 m
propulsion: Cegielski-Sulzer 6RLB90 diesel engine with 15,900 kW power
speed: 19.2 knots
Four type B-B-355 vessels were built in 1986-1992: three for a Polish shipowner and one for a German shipowner.
By the late 1980s, Polish Ocean Lines had almost 13,000 containers and an appropriate fleet of trucks and semi-trailers for land transport. Unfortunately, there were not enough modern vessels to carry such cargo, which showed in the quality of the service and discouraged potential customers, eventually leading to the line being closed. Antiquated and uneconomical classic general cargo vessels, which were less and less in demand, were still in operation. In the early 1970s, Polish Ocean Lines was one of the last shipowners to employ an exclusively conventional tonnage on the Europe–US line.
Polish Ocean Lines’ situation was worsened by decisions concerning the directions in which its fleet was to develop. In contrast to global trends, they focused too much on developing their fleet of general cargo ships and did not keep up with the changes in transport technology: the growing volume of wheeled cargo (ro-ro) and rapidly growing containerisation. Admittedly, in 1973 type B-438 semi-container ships were introduced, which made it possible to begin transporting containers on the North American line, but they were unable to compete with regular container ships. It became a must for Polish Ocean Lines to obtain such cutting-edge ships to survive on this line, while supplementing the fleet with more semi-container ships can be considered a half measure.
Polish shipyards had their golden age in the 1970s: every year, several dozen vessels came down their slipways, many of which were sold to Western countries for hard currency. That is why the inquiries about building vessels for Polish shipowners were treated with reserve. All Polish Ocean Lines could do was to order new vessels from foreign shipyards. Eight new con-ro vessels (ro-ro ships with container handling capability) were ordered in 1979: four in France (for the North America line) and four in Spain (for the Australia line).
When the new vessels were introduced (in 1981 and 1983), the eight container ships and 29 semi-container and ro-ro vessels that belonged to Polish Ocean Lines had a capacity for 19,500 20-foot (TEU) containers at a time, which put the Polish shipowner in sixth place in Europe and twentieth worldwide.
In 1982, taking advantage of their winning run, Polish Ocean Lines signed another contract for more container ships to sail on the Asia line. Gdańsk Shipyard was commissioned to build them; however, Polish Ocean Lines’ tentative economic situation meant that the keels under these ships were laid only in 1986-1989. They were classic cellular container ships of B-355 design. The first two, called the H. Cegielski and the T. Wenda, were handed over to the shipowner in 1988 and 1989 respectively.
One more such ship, the A. Abraham, was supposed to sail under the Polish flag. It was handed over to Polish Ocean Lines on 5 October 1991, but the very same day it changed owners and went under the Cyprus flag. For many years, it had remained the last large vessel built in a Polish shipyard for a Polish shipowner. The construction of a fourth such vessel, which was to be called the Z. Kieturakis, began in 1991, but in 1992 the ship was sold to a German shipowner while still under construction. It was delivered in July 1992 as the Northern Joy. It is the only ship in the series to remain in operation as of 2016. The other ships of this type were scrapped in 2010-2014.
Unfortunately, container ships were introduced to the Polish Ocean Lines fleet too late and at the wrong time: in the 1980s, when the floundering economy of communist Poland took the Polish merchant marine down with it. In 1981, the state budget took over the Polish shipowners’ financial reserves, which was a true blow that reverberated for years. Martial Law enacted in December 1981 caused difficulties in working with the global shipbroking market, Polish vessels were boycotted in foreign ports, and the economic sanctions reduced the volume of goods that were carried. The ensuing gap was quickly filled by the competition, especially in line services. It bears mentioning the crisis in global shipping, the deepest since World War II: freight rates dropped about 60 percent in 1980-1986. All this meant that the new container ships unexpectedly began to operate at a loss. On top of this was the requirement to pay the loans incurred to pay for their construction, which was very difficult given the out-of-control inflation.
The first to go on the selling block were the “Spanish” container ships from the Australia line, which generated the biggest losses because the freight rates on this route were only slightly higher than those on the much shorter route to North America. In 1989, all four ships were sold to Italian and Norwegian shipowners. In 1991, the time came for two type B-355 container ships, and in 1991-1992 for 4 French-built con-ro ships to be sold.
By the late 1980s, Polish Ocean Lines had almost 13,000 containers and an appropriate fleet of trucks and semi-trailers for land transport. Unfortunately, there were not enough modern vessels to carry such cargo, which showed in the quality of the service and discouraged potential customers, eventually leading to the line being closed. Antiquated and uneconomical classic general cargo vessels, which were less and less in demand, were still in operation. In the early 1970s, Polish Ocean Lines was one of the last shipowners to employ an exclusively conventional tonnage on the Europe–US line.
Polish Ocean Lines’ situation was worsened by decisions concerning the directions in which its fleet was to develop. In contrast to global trends, they focused too much on developing their fleet of general cargo ships and did not keep up with the changes in transport technology: the growing volume of wheeled cargo (ro-ro) and rapidly growing containerisation. Admittedly, in 1973 type B-438 semi-container ships were introduced, which made it possible to begin transporting containers on the North American line, but they were unable to compete with regular container ships. It became a must for Polish Ocean Lines to obtain such cutting-edge ships to survive on this line, while supplementing the fleet with more semi-container ships can be considered a half measure.
Polish shipyards had their golden age in the 1970s: every year, several dozen vessels came down their slipways, many of which were sold to Western countries for hard currency. That is why the inquiries about building vessels for Polish shipowners were treated with reserve. All Polish Ocean Lines could do was to order new vessels from foreign shipyards. Eight new con-ro vessels (ro-ro ships with container handling capability) were ordered in 1979: four in France (for the North America line) and four in Spain (for the Australia line).
When the new vessels were introduced (in 1981 and 1983), the eight container ships and 29 semi-container and ro-ro vessels that belonged to Polish Ocean Lines had a capacity for 19,500 20-foot (TEU) containers at a time, which put the Polish shipowner in sixth place in Europe and twentieth worldwide.
In 1982, taking advantage of their winning run, Polish Ocean Lines signed another contract for more container ships to sail on the Asia line. Gdańsk Shipyard was commissioned to build them; however, Polish Ocean Lines’ tentative economic situation meant that the keels under these ships were laid only in 1986-1989. They were classic cellular container ships of B-355 design. The first two, called the H. Cegielski and the T. Wenda, were handed over to the shipowner in 1988 and 1989 respectively.
One more such ship, the A. Abraham, was supposed to sail under the Polish flag. It was handed over to Polish Ocean Lines on 5 October 1991, but the very same day it changed owners and went under the Cyprus flag. For many years, it had remained the last large vessel built in a Polish shipyard for a Polish shipowner. The construction of a fourth such vessel, which was to be called the Z. Kieturakis, began in 1991, but in 1992 the ship was sold to a German shipowner while still under construction. It was delivered in July 1992 as the Northern Joy. It is the only ship in the series to remain in operation as of 2016. The other ships of this type were scrapped in 2010-2014.
Unfortunately, container ships were introduced to the Polish Ocean Lines fleet too late and at the wrong time: in the 1980s, when the floundering economy of communist Poland took the Polish merchant marine down with it. In 1981, the state budget took over the Polish shipowners’ financial reserves, which was a true blow that reverberated for years. Martial Law enacted in December 1981 caused difficulties in working with the global shipbroking market, Polish vessels were boycotted in foreign ports, and the economic sanctions reduced the volume of goods that were carried. The ensuing gap was quickly filled by the competition, especially in line services. It bears mentioning the crisis in global shipping, the deepest since World War II: freight rates dropped about 60 percent in 1980-1986. All this meant that the new container ships unexpectedly began to operate at a loss. On top of this was the requirement to pay the loans incurred to pay for their construction, which was very difficult given the out-of-control inflation.
The first to go on the selling block were the “Spanish” container ships from the Australia line, which generated the biggest losses because the freight rates on this route were only slightly higher than those on the much shorter route to North America. In 1989, all four ships were sold to Italian and Norwegian shipowners. In 1991, the time came for two type B-355 container ships, and in 1991-1992 for 4 French-built con-ro ships to be sold.
