A delegation from the Turkish Naval Academy visited PGZ Stocznia Wojenna (Naval Shipyard) in Gdynia, headed by Rear Admiral Ramazan Ozogul, the Academy’s Commandant. The visit provided an opportunity to present progress in the construction of vessels for the Polish naval forces and to exchange experience, particularly in light of the rapid development of Turkey’s naval capabilities and shipbuilding industry.

The representatives of the Turkish military academy were introduced to the shipyard’s infrastructure and ongoing projects, primarily the construction of multi-role frigates under the “Miecznik” programme and the rescue vessel under the “Ratownik” programme. The visit included, among other stops, the hull assembly hall where work is underway on the future ORP Wicher, which is scheduled to be launched in August this year.

“The exchange of experience between institutions training maritime personnel and the defence industry is one of the important elements of building relations within the NATO alliance. We are pleased that our shipyard can serve as an example of the growing potential of the Polish shipbuilding industry,” said Marcin Ryngwelski, President of PGZ Stocznia Wojenna.

Currently, the Turkish Naval Forces (Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri) and the country’s shipbuilding industry are developing rapidly. Until recently, Turkey was mainly associated with shipyards engaged in ship scrapping. Today, it builds vessels of various types and classes both for domestic needs and for export. It uses both licensed designs, as in the case of submarines, and its own projects, as demonstrated by the Ada-class corvettes, which are being built, among others, for Pakistan and Ukraine. In addition, the country has ambitions to build aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines.