On Thursday around noon, strollers who made their way to the Ziolkowski quay in Gdansk could witness quite a celebration: in the presence of officials and guests, the Polish ensign was officially raised on three new tugboats from WUŻ Port and Maritime Services, named Ares, Mars and Pax.

In recent months, the fleet of WUŻ Port and Maritime Services has been enriched by three new vessels. First, in August, the vessels Ares and Mars arrived in Gdansk from a shipyard in Vietnam. The former is the strongest of the new tugs - a vessel of type ASD 2813 measures 28 metres in length, 13 metres in width and boasts a bollard pull of 82 tonnes. Mars (type ASD 2811), which also measures 28 metres long by 11 metres wide, has a pile pull of 60 tonnes. At the beginning of October, they were joined by a third sister vessel, a twin to Mars, which is named Pax. This tugboat came from a shipyard in the United Arab Emirates, but all three vessels were designed and built by Damen Shipyards Group entities.

Once the new WUŻ vessels had all arrived in Gdańsk, the ceremony of hoisting the Polish flag on them could be planned. This took place today around midday. The vessels were moored at the public Ziółkowski quay in Gdansk, where numerous guests also gathered, including representatives of the Port Authority in Gdansk, headed by its president Łukasz Malinowski, the director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia, Capt. seaman Wiesław Piotrzkowski, as well as representatives of other organisations and companies connected with shipping and the port. The orchestra of the Maritime Unit of the Border Guard provided the musical setting.

The ceremony was presided over by WUŻ Port and Maritime Services President Marek Wengrzyn. In a short speech, he welcomed those in attendance and then explained the reasons behind the decision to make such a major investment as the purchase of three new vessels. As the president said, this is related to the dynamic development of the port of Gdansk itself, including plans for the construction of an FSRU and a new loading bay at Naftoport. Wengrzyn also talked a little about the capabilities and technical specifications of the vessels themselves.

- These three new tugboats will allow us to perform virtually any task in the port. We are virtually the only company in Poland that can handle two such large ports. These three units have strengthened us because of the fire protection we carry out. Looking to the future, we also need to secure the newly created FSRU, which is currently in the preparation and design phase," the WUŻ president told us. He added that the company needs to be ready to perform these tasks in 2027, when the aforementioned FSRU is scheduled to start operations. - Nevertheless, we are ready today. If such a situation were to happen that the construction of the FSRU would accelerate, we are prepared.

Marek Wengrzyn stressed that the new tugboats are also needed to bring ships in and out of the port. A big advantage is their power and manoeuvrability.

- These tugboats are really very manoeuvrable. They are equipped with state-of-the-art engines, state-of-the-art thrusters that control their track," explained the president of the WUŻ.

Marek Wengrzyn's speech was followed on the rostrum by Wiesław Piotrzkowski, director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia. He congratulated the investment, pointing out that it was probably the first time in history that three new tugboats were put into service in one year. He also made reference to history, pointing out that the JMA is constantly developing its capabilities.

- Goals in life are like horizons. As we reach one, we begin to see another. The company WUŻ has had these horizons in its field of vision over the years. These horizons are matters of history. 20 years ago in September, the Front Chief, the first VLCC ship, called at the Northern Port in Gdansk. It was then that the need to reach the horizon was born. Gradually, it was reached. Today, when we are building Baltic Hub 3 and 5 for wind farms, when we will be building the FSRU, there will be new challenges," said Piotrzkowski, emphasising that the VLCC has made efforts over the years to meet the requirements of the future.