The ship is being built under a contract approved on June 26 last year by Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak. The parties to the contract are the Armament Agency – on behalf of the State Treasury, and the Consortium consisting of Remontowa Shipbuilding (leader), PGZ Naval Shipyard and the Research & Development Maritime Technology Centre JSC in Gdynia.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Armament Agency, the Polish Navy, the Maritime Office, the Polish Register of Shipping, banks, insurance companies and entities directly involved in the construction of the ships, as well as representatives of both shipyards, members of the Remontowa Holding group.
“For the Navy, is a special day, meaning the practical start of the construction of a new minehunter, already the fourth in the series, which will soon bear the name ORP Jaskółka”
Rear Admiral Włodzimierz Kułagin, Chief of the Armament Board
“I believe that the Remontowa Shipbuilding’s crew will perfectly cope with this responsible task. I am glad that the construction of the Polish ship has been entrusted to builders of the highest qualifications and competence, who perform their duties daily with great commitment and dedication. I wish them success in this extremely responsible venture.”
General Wiesław Kukuła, Commander General of the Armed Forces
The ship under construction is the fourth mine destroyer of the Kormoran II type (displacement: up to 850 t, overall length 58.50 m, maximum width 10.30 m), produced by Remontowa Shipbuilding. The prototype vessel ORP Kormoran, designed and built under a research and development work formula, entered service in November 2017.
Its operation allowed modifications to be made in constructing the next series of minehunters. Thanks to these modifications, ORP Albatros and ORP Mewa (delivered to the Ordering Party in 2022), as well as the next three contracted vessels, will have optimal capabilities for operation in difficult hydrometeorological conditions. The essential and most significant alterations introduced on the serial vessels concern artillery armament and underwater mine countermeasure systems.
