The Polish Merchant Navy was created in the interwar period when the Second Polish Republic

Second Polish Republic

The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...

 regained independence.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, many ships of the Polish Navy joined the Allied merchant navy and its convoys, as part of the Polish contribution to World War II

Polish contribution to World War II

The European theater of World War II opened with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. The Polish Army was defeated after over a month of fighting. After Poland had been overrun, a government-in-exile , armed forces, and an intelligence service were established outside of Poland....

.

After the war, the Polish Merchant Navy was controlled by the People's Republic of Poland

People's Republic of Poland

The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...

 and after 1989, by modern Poland.

Numbers

Total: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,120,165 GRT/

Ships by type:
bulk 50, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off 1, short-sea passenger 2
(1999 est.)

Major companies

Major Polish shipping companies include:

• Polska Żegluga Morska (Polish Steamship Company, POLSTEAM)
• Polskie Linie Oceaniczne (Polish Ocean Lines, POL)