The new strategy of SSN "Wulkan" – offshore partnership and return to maritime production [Part 1]

After years of stagnation, Szczecińska Shipyard "Wulkan" rebuilds its position in the shipbuilding industry. The President Radosław Kowalczyk talks about new investments, development strategies and the role of private and public partnerships in an interview with the editor of the Shipyard Portal. Against this background, there is an ambitious vision – creating a modern production centre in the western part of Pomerania, capable of carrying out complex projects and cooperation at national and European level.

What was crucial in the recovery process after the difficult financial period?

We have focused on comprehensive actions, covering many areas of operation of the Shipyard. It was not one move, one decision – it was rather a series of operational and financial improvements that we implemented in parallel. Several such areas could be identified, which have started to produce tangible results – properly structured and organised. I do not want to go into details, because it is largely internal knowledge, operational knowledge, but I can assure you that it was a thorough and thoughtful process. Not single corrections, but a complete transformation, which results in the current result of the Company.

How did the completion of unprofitable contracts and the change in the management structure affect the current operational model of the Shipyard?

As I mentioned earlier, this was a multi-thread process, where management and contract portfolio activities were complementary. On the one hand, we have completed or redefined some of the unprofitable contracts, on the other, we have changed our approach to implementing tasks. These organizational and financial changes have allowed us not only to clear the past, but also to create completely new business conditions.

After less than half a year, we started to see results – contracts are implemented in a completely different system today: with more precise technical requirements, on more favourable prices, at the same time lower costs of their own operation. We have introduced strong financial discipline, both in terms of planning and control of expenditure. This all translates into greater operational efficiency and efficiency.

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The new orders signed by us are very accurately calculated, and the production and implementation of services are carried out under constant cost control. This gives us positive results on virtually every contract. And this starts to accumulate – month after month – in the result that we can show with full conviction today.

In recent years it has often been heard that the strength of SSN "Wulkan" is mainly the presence of tens of companies operating on its territory. How much is this cooperation model really the foundation of the Shipyard's activities?

Indeed, one of the three pillars of our activity is cooperation with the private sector – both in the implementation of joint orders and by providing production infrastructure to companies operating in our territory. For today we have nearly 70 entities physically operating in the space of the Shipyard, and including those who cooperate with us from outside – we are talking together about about about 100 companies. This is a very broad executive environment, which we treat as a strategic resource.

This form of cooperation we intend not only to maintain, but to further develop. This allows us to offer comprehensive competences – from design to production – and to function effectively as a main contractor or consortium leader in offshore or ship projects. This is a modern and proven approach, widely used in the Western European shipbuilding industry. We are not the first in this, but we consistently build the strength of our Shipyard based on such a partnership structure.

Thanks to this, we can offer comprehensive design and production services to the customer, together with the companies that operate here. Together we form a team that is able to realize virtually any maritime design that the market requires. And our goal is to get this order – preferably – to us, to Szczecin.

In May this year the Ministry of Infrastructure signed an agreement with the Fund for the Development of Companies, which provides for significant funds for the investments of Shipyard. What infrastructure activities will be implemented first?

The total amount of funds to be transferred to the infrastructure development fund is PLN 240 million. They will then be redistributed to specific investment targets, which are already clearly defined today. The largest part, close to 170 million, will be used to complete the construction of a floating dock for the Marine Shiprepair Yard Gryfia. We took over this investment as a new board in unfinished state – without the funds for its finalisation, although most of the budget was already spent, and the dock itself was not even half ready. Today, we make up for this lack, wanting to put into service a modern, fully functional tool.

The remaining funds – several dozen million PLN – are intended to expand the production capacity of SSN "Wulkan". We invest in halls, machinery park and other infrastructure that will allow us to significantly increase the scale of our operations. Currently, all production assets that we have – both ours and shared with private companies – are used 100 percent, and even above these possibilities. Demand, especially on hall surfaces, assembly squares and steel processing, is constantly increasing.

Therefore, this investment programme will create two new halls, additional production facilities and automated workstations, equipped with modern machines that will accelerate and increase production efficiency. This, in turn, will allow us to make maximum use of the already existing infrastructure and safely enter the next stage – building larger and more complex structures. Assembly halls will also be created, necessary for the final integration and arming of large units. These are key investments that will enable us to respond not only to the real needs of our Shipyard, but to the entire shipbuilding sector in the region.

Among the current projects is a modern, specialized ship, buoy and buoy stand for the Maritime Office in Szczecin. Is this a signal that the Shipyard intends to develop competence in the construction of specialised and offshore units?

Yes, we strongly consider this project as an important step towards the construction of competences in the specialist units segment. It's a buoy and a buoy for the Maritime Office. operating in the Szczecin–Swinoujście port area. The unit is multi-tasking, with the option of icebreaker function – it is a really advanced design, created from scratch, under the key, on the territory of the SSN "Volcano".

The project is carried out in close cooperation with partners operating in our industrial environment – it is a consortium of entities that together provide the full range of competences necessary to perform this unit. Although the unit itself is not large in size, it requires a very high level of precision and process integration. Fortunately, we have all the resources and competences needed to carry out the construction efficiently and professionally.

This is the first unit we consider as a general test – a test of the efficiency of cooperation, coordination and ability to implement projects ready. And I can say with full confidence: we have an appetite for more. As a group of companies, we want to move smoothly from this first unit to the continuous production of further specialized vessels, carried out in a full range of equipment.

Our ambition is not large units of massage or tankers – but specialised ships that Europe needs more and more. We are ready, and Szczecin is the perfect place to build them. We are talking here, among others, about SOV, CTV, various types of constructions for port handling, water tracks, and also about modifications of existing units. This segment of the market is wide and its potential increases.

Already today, we are consistently driving our activity in this direction. If the market is favourable, the construction of specialised units will become one of the pillars of the activity for SSN "Wulkan" and its partners.

In this context, are you already having discussions about further orders, similar to the current buoy put forward?

Yes, we are currently assessing and analyzing several more projects of this type. For next year there are more and more questions – together we are talking about several potential orders in which we are interested in participating. Of course, many of them are at a bargaining stage, so today it is difficult to determine which of them will eventually reach us.

Our goal is to acquire 5 to 7 such production units from 2025 to 2026. From our perspective, this is a real and ambitious plan. Each next unit strengthens our position as a contractor of ready-made integrated specialized structures – and in this direction we intend to go consistently.

Does Szczecińska Shipyard "Wulkan" aspire to the role of the West Pomeranian shipyard counterpart Crist – known from Gdynia and associated with the implementation of advanced specialist units?

Yes, you could say that – that is exactly where we are heading. Although of course we are fully aware that Crist is ahead of us organizationally and productively. This plant developed continuously and stablely, while in our history there were periods of turbulence that slowed development. But today we are doing everything to catch up with this distance – step by step we are building a modern, strong shipyard capable of implementing ambitious projects.

We see clearly that the market for specialist units – especially small and medium-sized units, requiring high levels of integration – is growing rapidly. It is this segment that we want to manage without entering direct competition with entities like Crist. We do not want to race for size or tonnage – we want to find our own niche, complementing the offer of the domestic and European markets.

Our goal is not to compete, but to cooperate. We believe in a partner model in which different shipyards can complement each other – instead of creating artificial barriers and hostile divisions. In the realities of today's market, with global turmoil and increasing demand for special purpose units, synergies are the most beneficial. And this approach – win-win – we also want to promote in relations with other players in the industry.

If Szczecin Shipyard "The Volcano" is to become the "Crist of Western Pomerania", it is not by copying but by wise development of its own competences. And that's exactly what we're doing today.

Thank you for talking and bringing forward the strategy for the development of SSN Volcano. In the second part of the interview we will talk about plans for cooperation with the Navy, the possibility of building unmanned units and investments of shipyards in staff and training facilities.

Mariusz Dasiewicz spoke