Studia Maritima (Jan 2018)
NORWEGIAN SHIPOWNERS IN THE PORTS OF THE POLISH CUSTOMS AREA IN THE YEARS 1919–1939 (MAIN PROBLEMS)
Abstract
SummaryIn the interwar period the Norwegian merchant fleet was ranked fourth-sixth in the world. That is why Norway was an attractive economic partner for Poland, which in 1919 did not possess any merchant fleet. In the same year the Norwegian government sent to Poland an economic mission headed by Samuel Eyde, the Norwegian shipowners and their Union were represented by Thor Thoresen. Regrettably, at the beginning of the 1920s financial problems of Poland resulted in the lack of interest in operating the port of Gdańsk on the part of the Norwegian shipowners.In 1921 one of the biggest Norwegian shipowners, Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab (BDS), took up transporting herring to Gdańsk purchased within the so called second Polish-Norwegian Herring Contract. In the same year BDS set up a branch in Gdańsk, and in 1928 – in Gdynia, Bergenske Baltic Transport plc (‘Bergenske’ or BBT). In 1921 BDS set up a navigational line to the Baltic ports and London, and in 1931 – together with Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab – another line to the ports of western Norway. BDS participated in the creation of smaller shipping companies (Nord Ost-See Reederei A-G, Standard Line Reederei A-G, Bellmore Reederei A-G, Norna Reederei-Gesellschaft mbH). The BDS ships also sailed in the South-American line, Den Norske Syd-Amerikalinjen (SAL). Among the Norwegian shipowners the biggest line to Gdańsk and Gdynia was operated by Wilhelm Wilhelmsen (Gulf-Gdynia Line, GGL). Thanks to that line a huge quantities of American cotton were delivered to the ports of the Polish customs area. Navigational lines were operated also by Fred Olsen & CO. (a line to the ports of eastern Norway) and Gunstein Stray & Sønn (Vore-Line to Antwerp). The Norwegian shipowners in many cases used tramps, which dominated in Gdańsk, and so were they in Gdynia with the exception of the years 1934–1936. An essential element of the activity of BBT was broking and forwarding. BBT was one of the biggest brokers in Gdańsk and Gdynia. In addition, thanks to the fact that ‘Bergford’ Holz-Speditions und Lager GmbH and ‘Berghof’ Lager und Warrant GmbH remained in the same hands, BBT exported a large quantity of wood from Gdańsk. ‘Bergenske’ cooperated also with Polish forwarding companies, the Polish Lloyd and C. Hartwig. All those companies had branches in Poland and abroad, which enabled BBT to run complementary transport, i.e. using sea and land transport.
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