Remontowa Shipbuilding has started the construction of the second "Delfin". The future ORP Henryk Zygalski is already being built - MarinePoland.com
Remontowa Shipbuilding has started the construction of the second "Delfin". The future ORP Henryk Zygalski is already being built
Date of publication: 21.12.2023
During the third ceremony this year for the first cutting of sheet metal at the Gdańsk shipyard, work began on another radio-electronic reconnaissance ship of the "Delfin" program. The project is being implemented with the Swedish concern Saab Kockums, which is the main contractor for the order for the Armament Agency. The unit under construction will be part of the Reconnaissance Ship Group of the 3rd Ship Flotilla and will be stationed at the Gdynia Naval Port. It is intended to strengthen the potential of the Polish Navy in the field of reconnaissance activities.

The ceremony takes place four months after laying the keel of the twin ship of project 107, the future ORP Jerzy Różycki (261). Shortly after 12:00 guests from the shipbuilding industry, local authorities and the navy gathered to witness the event. Among them were the head of the National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera, the head of the Armament Directorate at the General Command of the Armed Forces, Cadm. Włodzimierz Kułagin, head of the Maritime Technology Headquarters, Commander Piotr Skóra, president of the management board of Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. Dariusz Jaguszewski, vice-president of Saab Lars Brännström, other representatives of the Swedish program contractor, Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. and Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa S.A. members of the Remontowa Holding capital group and representatives of financial institutions and companies involved in this project.

During the event, the head of the National Security Bureau emphasized the importance of the Polish Navy in building national and international security, which is what ships of this type are intended to help with. A special aspect of activities in this context will be the protection of critical infrastructure located both above and under water. In turn, the president of the Gdańsk shipyard emphasized the development of long-term cooperation with the naval branch of the armed forces, due to the ongoing shipbuilding programs and previous projects. What is very symbolic, the pro electronic reconnaissance ships currently in service. 863, ORP Nawigator and ORP Hydrograf, were built in the 1970s in the then Northern Shipyard. Bohaterów Westerplatte in Gdańsk, where Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. is currently located.

The main point of the ceremony was turning on the cutting machine, and then, amid sparkling sparks, the process of preparing one sheet of metal began, which will most likely become an element of the future ship's hull. Then the project manager from Saab, Magnus Nielsen, project director at Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. Krzysztof Radzikowski, Paweł Szmigiel, representing the certifier DNV, and commander Piotr Skóra signed a certificate confirming this stage of construction, marked as No. 107/2.

The agreement on the construction of ships of the "Delfin" program was concluded on November 25 between the Saab concern and the Armament Agency on November 25, 2022. On December 15, the Swedish company announced that the details of the contract had been finalized, confirming the commencement of preparations for the execution of the order. The MMC Ship Design & Marine Consulting office is responsible for the project. The total value of the order is approximately SEK 6.7 billion, i.e. nearly PLN 2.8 billion. According to preliminary plans, their successors are to enter service in 2027. The contractor commissioned the construction of partially equipped ship hulls at the Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. shipyard, as well as the performance of all necessary tests, including a full range of HAT (Harbor Acceptance Trials) and SAT (Sea Acceptance Trials) dock tests.

Theis ceremony ceremony is part of the most dynamic period in the Polish shipbuilding industry for years. The first of three Kormoran 2-class minehunters, the future ORP Jaskółka, is currently under construction. All of them are to be included in the equipment of the 12th Minesweeper Squadron of the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla. Moreover, in August, sheet metal was cut for the first multi-role frigate of the "Miecznik" program, the future ORP Wicher. The Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. shipyard is also involved in the work on it, as a consortium partner. According to immediate plans, the launch of the first "Delfin" is scheduled for July next year. Also in 2024, sheet metal cutting for the remaining minehunters, the future ORP Czajka and ORP Rybitwa, is to take place, and most likely the keel for the future ORP Henryk Zygalski will also be laid.

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