Wlocawek - gone to breakers

1. Wloclawek sailing from Halifax for the last time.

A ship that visited Halifax several times while on charter to the Canadian military has ended up on the beach at Alang, India for scrap.
Wloclawek dated to 1989 when it was turned out by the Komuny Paryskiej shipyard in Gdynia Poland as a RoRo ship for Polish Ocean Lines' Levant Shipping Lines.With a capacity for 160 vehicles and 505 containers (including 50 refrigerated), it had 1366 lane meters of RoRo capacity and a 200 tonne stern ramp, and measured 15,635 gross tons. As with many Warsaw block ships it had accommodation for a very large crew. It also had two engines and twin screws. 
By the early 2000s the ship transferred to POL-Euro Shipping Lines Ltd and became available for charter. With HMCS Preserver in refit, and no RoRo capability, Canada needed a ship to transport material to the Afghanistan area. In October 2007 the Canadian Operational Support Command (CANOSCOM) chartered the ship for several trips and to be available when needed. It returned to Canada in August 2008, sailing to Montreal, then came to Halifax in September where it anchored in Bedford Basin for an extended period. It returned to Europe in March 2009 for a refit but was back in Halifax in October. It was then used to support Canada's response to the Haiti earthquake.
It was back in Halifax again in November 2010 until it completed its charter and sailed for the last time on December 25, 2010.
The ship arrived off Alang, India on March 29, and it was beached on May 9 for demolition.

2. The ship had a 200 tonne capacity stern ramp.