Polish Minehunter Jaskółka Enters Sea Acceptance Trials
On the morning of Monday, March 2, 2026, the Polish minehunter Jaskółka (hull number 258/4) departed port to begin Sea Acceptance Trials (SAT) — a demanding and comprehensive series of tests conducted by the shipbuilder, Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A., part of the Remontowa Holding capital group. The trials are a prerequisite for the vessel to receive its classification certificate from the Polish Register of Shipping (PRS).
Months of Harbour Testing Precede Sea Departure
The vessel’s entry into SAT followed weeks of intensive, multi-stage Harbour Acceptance Tests (HAT), during which all critical onboard systems were activated and checked under controlled conditions. Engineers verified the performance of the electro-propulsion systems, engine-room management controls, internal and external communication systems, as well as mooring, anchoring and towing equipment.
Particular attention was paid to the vessel’s ventilation, hydraulic, firefighting and water-sprinkler systems — components whose reliability is foundational to safe ship operation in challenging naval environments.
A Wide Scope of Sea Trials Planned
The SAT programme, scheduled to run over the coming weeks, will include an extensive range of manoeuvring and operational tests in the Gulf of Gdańsk. The vessel’s integrated propulsion system will be put through its paces — a system that combines Rolls-Royce diesel engines with quiet-drive electric motors developed by the Łukasiewicz — Upper Silesian Institute of Technology, Voith Schneider cycloidal propellers, and a Schottel bow thruster.
This combination of technologies gives Jaskółka exceptional manoeuvrability — a particularly critical capability when combined with her navigation suite and Dynamic Positioning (DP) system, which allows the vessel to maintain a precise, fixed position. Electronic systems under evaluation will also include satellite navigation and a suite of technical monitoring and communications equipment.
Cross-Industry Expert Teams Participate in Trials
The sea trials will be attended by a broad team of specialists. Alongside the shipyard crew, the team includes representatives of the Consortium responsible for the programme, service technicians from the manufacturers of individual shipboard systems, and — crucially — inspectors from the Polish Register of Shipping acting as the classification authority. Measurement support will be provided by specialists from the Ship Design and Research Centre (CTO), while military oversight will be maintained by representatives of the Quality Assurance Division of the Armament Agency.
A Key Step Toward Naval Commissioning
Sea Acceptance Trials represent a demanding, real-world verification of every shipboard system operating simultaneously under actual conditions at sea. Successfully completing this stage will bring the shipbuilder closer to the even more stringent Final Acceptance Trials (PZO — Próby Zdawczo-Odbiorcze), which are broader in scope and more exacting in their technical requirements.
All of these steps lead toward the overarching objective: the introduction of ORP Jaskółka into active operational service with the Polish Navy.
Background: The Kormoran II Programme
Construction of the Kormoran II-class minehunters at the Remontowa Shipbuilding yard began a decade ago. The programme was officially launched on April 25, 2014, and the lead vessel — later commissioned as ORP Kormoran — was handed over to the Polish Navy in 2017.
Vessels of this class are designed to search for, identify and neutralise naval mines and other explosive ordnance, whether suspended in the water column or resting on the seabed. Their area of operations includes the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone as well as NATO and EU anti-mine task groups operating in the Baltic and North Seas.
The ships are built under the supervision of the Polish Register of Shipping and designed by Remontowa Marine Design & Consulting — a naval architecture firm also belonging to the Remontowa Holding group.
