Polferries is the largest Polish ferry shipping company. It was founded in 1976 as a state-owned company and operated a large route network during the communist era, which extended as far as England and also included cargo ships. In 1991, the company was transformed into a public limited company and from then on limited itself to connections from Poland to Sweden. In the years that followed, terminals and ships were modernized and some new ships were purchased, so that the fleet now meets the usual European standards.
Polferries operates two ferry connections: From Gdansk, it calls at the Swedish port of Nynäshamn, which is close to the Swedish capital Stockholm. From the western Polish Baltic port of Swinemünde (Polish: Świnoujście), the ferry calls at Ystad in the far south of Sweden. The proximity of the port of departure to the German border also makes this connection attractive for travelers from Germany, as it is one of the shortest ferry connections from Central Europe to Sweden.
Polferries currently has five ships; all are conventional ships with large capacities for 1000-1500 passengers each. All ships have catering facilities, including at least one restaurant and additional catering outlets such as cafés or bars. There are also stores, casinos and sometimes even a disco.
As the crossings are quite long - the shortest crossing from Swindemünde to Ystad takes around six hours, the longest from Gdansk to Nynäshamn a full 18 hours - all ships also have cabins; there is usually room for around half the permitted number of passengers.
The route from Swinemünde to Ystad runs once a day in winter and two to three times a day in summer. The route from Gdansk to Nynäshamn is operated once a day all year round (with the exception of some public holidays).