A contract was signed today in Szczecin for the construction of a new buoy tender for the needs of the Maritime Office. The tender was won by the Szczecin-based Wulkan Shipyard.

The Maritime Office in Szczecin announced the signing of a contract with Wulkan Shipyard, selected through a competitive tender, for the construction of the new buoy tender. According to the specifications, the vessel will be between 27 and 30 meters long and 8 to 10 meters wide. Its draft will be shallow – 1.8–2.2 m. The deck will have space for transporting at least two buoys, each weighing 4,500 kg, together with their equipment – anchors and chains. The tender will be fitted with an extended working deck, a deck crane, and a capstan to enable the launching and recovery of buoys.

The contract was signed on April 22. The event was attended by Arkadiusz Marchewka, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, as well as Wojciech Zdanowicz, Director of the Maritime Office in Szczecin, and Radosław Kowalczyk, President of Wulkan Shipyard.

The shipyard will receive over PLN 30 million for the project. The vessel is scheduled for delivery within 18 months of the contract signing.

“This is what the repolonization of the economy looks like in practice – because it is with state budget funds, at the request of the Maritime Office, that this ship will be built by a Polish shipyard. And what’s important, it will be done together with subcontractors – with companies based here, local Polish and Szczecin firms,” commented Deputy Minister Marchewka.

The vessel will be used for servicing navigational aids in ports and along the waterways managed by the Maritime Office in Szczecin. It will not only handle the launching and recovery of buoys but will also be used for maintenance of other navigational marks (such as beacons and dolphins) on the water. In addition, it will assist in icebreaking operations, as it will be built to ice class L1.

“It will be the second-largest vessel in our fleet. As far as Szczecin is concerned, it will, of course, be our flagship unit,” said Wojciech Zdanowicz, quoted by the Polish Press Agency.

Radosław Kowalczyk, President of Wulkan, assured that the shipyard is ready for the project.

“Today the shipyard has steel production capabilities, one of the largest ship-painting halls in Europe, equipment, workshops, and the capacity to launch such a vessel. So most of the work, it seems, will be carried out directly by the shipyard – of course with the broadest possible involvement of the private sector,” Kowalczyk said. He also mentioned two Polish companies already selected for cooperation on the project: Seatech Engineering and Elektryka Morska.

The new buoy tender will replace the aging Galaktyka, which has been carrying out tasks for the Maritime Office in Szczecin since 1975.