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PolSca Baltic Ferries: a new chapter in Polish ferry shipping in the Baltic Sea
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
Poland's ferry shipping is preparing a significant change – the three largest national shipowners announced the establishment of a company responsible for operational management of ferry connections with Scandinavia. We are bringing together the scenes of the creation of PolSca Baltic Ferries, its objectives and its importance for the Baltic shipping market.
In the article
New PolSca Baltic Ferries operator with leader ambitions
In Świnoujście, PolSca Baltic Ferries was announced – a joint venture of Polish Maritime Shipping (PŻM), Polish Baltic Shipping (PŻB) and EuroAfrica, which aims to strengthen Poland's position in the ferry shipping market in Baltic Sea Region. The new operator will take over the management of ten ferries operated so far by Unity Line and Polferries, offering the densest network of connections to Scandinavia, based on the experience of three key national shipowners.
The new operator will be registered as a joint stock company based in Świnoujście. Its shareholders will be in equal parts: Polish Maritime Shipping, EuroAfrica and Polish Baltic Shipping – owner of the Polferries brand. In the initial phase of business, the company will focus on operational integration and joint management of units operated under the marks Unity Line and Polferries, while maintaining existing commercial brands.
Investments and consolidation of forces
PolSca Project It fits into a broader strategy of strengthening the Polish maritime economy, whose new phase was set by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the programme "Polish sea". As Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka stressed, the integration of Polish shipowners is a response to the increasing pressure of competition from German and Scandinavian operators.
The construction of modern units, which will power the PolSca fleet, has already secured PLN 1.3 billion under the new investment agreement, and another PLN 1 billion has been transferred to Polish Promy. The first of three new ferryThis LNG-powered fleet has power already in the fall of 2025, another – in the years 2026 and 2027 respectively.
One sale – multiple directions
According to Piotr Redmerski, the president of PZB and one of the architects of the POLSCA project, the new company will enable the implementation of the central ticket sales system for both individual customers and the road transport sector. This will give passengers and freight forwarders access to a harmonised transport offer covering both connections from Świnoujście and from Tricity.
It is estimated that Unity Line and Polferries currently serve a total of about one third of the ferry market in the Baltic. In 2024 alone, both brands transported more than 400 thousand trucks from Polish ports to Scandinavia.
Polish shipowners respond to challenges
Paweł Porzycki, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Polish Promy company, the ferry market in the Baltic after the COVID-19 pandemic and in the face of the war in Ukraine changed radically. Decreased margins, demand volatility and increasing operating costs have forced a new approach – more integrated, flexible and innovative.
"It will not be a copy of Unity Line – it will be a new quality: an offensive player, ready to expand on new directions and fight for passenger and logistics client," said Porzycki. One of the first signals of the new approach may be the planned extension of the offer of connections before 2026.
Well-known brands – new management quality
In the first stage of brand activity Polferries and Unity Line will remain on the market, but all ferries will be centrally managed by PolSca. This will allow cost optimization, better network management and more efficient use of existing units.
Personal decisions concerning the company's board of directors have not yet been announced, but it is unofficially said that Redmerski is to be the CEO. The supervisory board shall be composed of representatives of three shareholders.
Written by Mariusz Dasiewicz
