Polish Steamship Company to buy four new ships

The Polish Steamship Company (Polska Żegluga Morska – PŻM), a cargo ship operator, has signed a deal with Chinese Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding company for a construction of four new bulk carriers with a capacity of 36,500 DWT. The contract is worth $100 million and provides an option for construction of two additional ships, Krzysztof Gogol, the advisor to the director of the PŻM told PAP. “We had asked Polish shipyards if they were interested in constructing bulk carriers, but they declined,” Gogol added. The PŻM wants to strengthen its position in the American Great Lakes region, which is of one the most important areas for the US-Canada trade. Under the investment program for 2015-2020, the PŻM have already signed a deal with Chinese Yangfan Group for delivery of 12 bulk freighters with a capacity of 39,000 DWT. In total, the PŻM will receive 16 bulk carriers in 2015-2017 with a joint capacity of 614,000 DWT.