On Friday, 19 January, a ceremony was held at Remontowa Shipbuilding to cut the first steel plates for the construction of the fifth in a series of ‘Kormoran II’ type minehunter. The ship will be named Rybitwa.
The ‘Kormoran II’ type minehunters are being built under an agreement between the Ministry of National Defence and a consortium consisting of: Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. – leader, Ośrodek Badawczo – Rozwojowy Centrum Techniki Morskiej S.A. (OBR CTM S.A.) and PGZ Stocznia Wojenna. The unit will become part of the 12th minesweeper squadron of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla.
“This ceremony pleases all of us, as it will result in the Navy receiving another modern vessel with construction number 258/5. Kormoran II type minehunters undoubtedly contribute to maritime security not only for Poland, but also for the allies. We are proud of our participation in the implementation of the Technical Modernisation Programme of the Armed Forces, so important for us and the Ministry of National Defence. This is already the 14th unit we are about to commence as part of it over a decade,” said Bartłomiej Pomierski, Vice President of the Management Board of Remontowa Shipbuilding SA.
A letter from Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz was read out by Sławomir Cichocki, Director of the Department of Armament Policy of the Ministry of Defence.
“A modern Navy, capable of carrying out various types of tasks in case of peace, crisis and war alike, is essential to ensure this security. The Kormoran II-type minehunters under construction at the Polish shipyard are modern vessels specialising in a narrow but crucial aspect of naval operations. The ship whose construction symbolically begins today is the fifth in the series, a successful project that is of great value to our fleet. The creation of this series of ships is a demonstration of the capacity for cooperation between the Armed Forces and the Polish shipbuilding industry and proof of the potential of this industry. The Polish Navy will receive vessels ready for the challenges of the twenty-first century. I would like to thank all those involved in the expansion of our Navy and wish them perseverance in further efforts to strengthen Poland’s defence.”
A few words to the participants of the ceremony were also addressed by the Commander of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla, Rear Admiral Piotr Sikora
“The fifth serial unit, colloquially we call them minehunters, while those who have been dealing with the subject for some time know that these are not typical minehunters, but actually multi-purpose mine defence platforms. They are some of the most modern vessels of their type in the world and some of the newest. Built from special steel, magnetically invisible, highly manoeuvrable, redundant and equipped with a wide range of tools. Their main task is, of course, to secure maritime communication routes. How important it is is shown by the current war beyond our eastern border. (…) These ships are already participating in many exercises, they will show up abroad, represent the Polish flag and support the allies. These vessels, take my word for it, see everything that lies on the bottom. Everything.”
All the vessels in this series are built to a design developed by Remontowa Holding Group’s Remontowa Marine Design & Consulting Sp. z o.o. design office under the supervision of the classification society Polish Register of Shipping (PRS) with the participation of a wide national chain of co-operators and suppliers.
Photo: Sławomir Lewandowski / PortalMorski.pl