On January 16th, at the Shanhaiguan shipyard in Qinhuangdao (Hebei Province, China), the newest ship of Polska Żegluga Morska (Polsteam, Polish Steamship Company), the m/s Polsteam Okra, was officially handed over. This is another laker-max vessel that will join the fleet of the Polish company.

During the handover ceremony, the namegiving ceremony of the vessel took place, with Mirosława Ruchniak, a long-time employee of PŻM, serving as the godmother. The m/s Polsteam Okra (IMO: 9984819) is being commanded on its maiden voyage by Captain Krzysztof Dziurdzikowski. The ship will load steel in the Chinese ports of Changshu and Caofedian before embarking on a long journey across the Pacific, reaching the Panama Canal on March 13th. From there, it will head across the Atlantic to the Great Lakes ports of Cleveland and Milwaukee in the United States, arriving in the spring, on April 5th.

The new addition to Polsteam is 200 meters long and 24 meters wide. Launched in October of the previous year, the vessel has a deadweight of 36,880 tons and is classified as a laker-max. These vessels are designed to navigate through the system of channels and locks leading to the Great Lakes in North America (lakers are longer but narrower than typical bulk carriers).

PŻM has ordered a total of 12 lake vessels, with Polsteam Okra being the fifth. They are being built at the shipyards of the Chinese group Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC). Additional ships in the series are scheduled to enter service every quarter between 2024 and 2026. In January of the previous year, the bulk carrier Polsteam Dąbie was added to the Polish armada. The next addition was Polsteam Koprowo in April, followed by Polsteam Łebsko in July (launched in May), and Polsteam Pile in September.

The company emphasizes that this is a strategic market for PŻM, as the armada transports high-quality steel for the American automotive industry. The steel is loaded at the Tata Steel mill in IJmuiden, the Netherlands, or, in the case of new ships received in China, it comes from Chinese and Korean suppliers.

PŻM's lake vessels are named after Polish lakes. Okra is a small lake located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in the Drawskie Lake District. Currently, the fleet of Polska Żegluga Morska consists of 56 vessels, including 52 bulk carriers and 4 ferries, managed by the Unity Line company.