Regulating the Legal Status of 2 Auxiliary Units
The client had units with an unclear registry history. In 3.2 months, we straightened out register entries and obtained a flag.
We helped a Gdynia shipowner return two auxiliary tugs to work, which had stood uselessly in port for 312 days. A lack of continuity in ownership documents blocked entry into the Polish register of shipping and prevented legal quayside work.
The challenge
Serwis Morski Jaskółka bought two units, Mewa 3 and Jastrząb 2, from a foreign entity that went bankrupt. Documentation from 2018 was incomplete. Original invoices for engine overhauls and certificates from the Norwegian registry were missing.
The port authority charged penalty rates for quay laytime because the ships lacked valid safety cards. Every day of delay generated 620 PLN loss per unit. The client tried to resolve the matter in offices for 7 months independently but without success.
Our approach
We started our work with a physical inventory of nameplates and hull numbers directly in the port. We contacted the bankruptcy trustee in Oslo to recover copies of missing agreements.
Instead of writing general requests, we prepared a precise legal opinion based on facts and hard evidence of ownership. We focused on proving continuity of unit possession. Our team acted according to the principle that at the quay, practice and concrete documents matter, not theoretical considerations.
The solution
We prepared and filed a full set of applications to the Maritime Office in Gdynia and the Maritime Chamber. We developed new technical documentation that accounted for propulsion changes made by the previous owner.
We straightened out the history in foreign registers, allowing for official deletion of the units and their re-registration under the Polish flag. We closed the process by issuing safety cards for both tugs, restoring their right to perform commercial work.
Results
Both units have returned to full operational status and are earning for themselves in the Gdansk port. The shipowner avoided further quay occupancy penalties.
Timeline
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June 12, 2024Technical inventory and document audit in port.
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July 5, 2024Recovering ownership certificates from the trustee in Norway.
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August 22, 2024Filing for Polish flag at the Maritime Office.
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September 18, 2024Picking up registration documents and safety cards.
"We thought these tugs would be sold for scrap. GMD found an error in documents from 6 years ago and straightened it out at the office in less than four months. Without unnecessary talk."