“I look with pride at the Polish shipbuilding industry that is represented here” – Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, said on Thursday during a visit to Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard in Gdansk. As he added, shipyards from the Remontowa Holding capital group “repair and build ships, thus representing the Republic of Poland on a global scale”.
President Andrzej Duda, on his way to the construction site of the shipping channel through the Vistula Spit, visited the shipyards of Remontowa Holding capital group. First, he viewed the Remontowa Shiprepair Yard SA from the deck of a vessel of the Border Guard. He also met the management board, managerial staff and shipyard workers. Then he visited the Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard, where modern mine countermeasure ships of the 258 Kormoran II project are built for the Polish Navy.
The programme code-named Kormoran at this stage means the construction of three mine hunters for the Polish Navy. The first, ORP Kormoran is already in service, ORP Albatros is undergoing sea trials, and ORP Mewa will soon join them – President Andrzej Duda said after visiting Albatros, adding that he hopes for the realisation of further tasks.
The mine hunters are built by a consortium led by Remontowa Shipbuilding. It also includes the Research and Development Centre of the Maritime Technology Centre and the PGZ Naval Shipyard. The prototype ORP Kormoran, commissioned in November 2017, was the first work of exclusively Polish industry in 20 years, from the design to the delivery of a fully equipped, modern vessel to the Navy. The cooperation in its construction resulted in the ordering of further such ships – ORP Albatros and ORP Mewa.
I am proud of the Polish shipbuilding industry, which is represented here and which continues to develop. I am glad that the management of Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard proved that it is able to build mine hunters. It was said that it is impossible in Poland. The ships were built in this shipyard, entirely according to the most modern, world-class technologies. Today they are the most modern mine hunters in the North Atlantic Alliance – emphasized President Andrzej Duda.
Today Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. is part of a consortium which together with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (the Polish Armaments Group) prepares to implement the “Miecznik” programme, i.e. to build three frigates. Miecznik, i.e. the construction of three frigates for the Polish Navy. It is a huge undertaking which is of great importance for the modernisation of the Polish armed forces – said the President adding that the shipyard is able to carry out this programme.
It is a great satisfaction for me that the construction of vessels for the Polish Navy finally comes back to the Polish shipyards. We have great experts who know how to build ships and talented young people who will be able to handle even the most difficult tasks in the future. I wholeheartedly congratulate Remontowa Holding group and I thank on behalf of the whole society that such tasks can be performed here – stressed President Andrzej Duda.
At the end he thanked Remontowa Holding Management Board, management and all employees for the opportunity to see the infrastructure of the biggest Polish shipbuilding group and to learn about specificity of ship building and repair industry.
After the visit to the shipyards the President went to the site of the Vistula Spit diversion near Kąty Rybackie, where the construction of the shipping channel is underway. The canal is to contribute to the development of the port of Elbląg and the ports on the lagoon. He was accompanied by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
rel. PortalMorski.pl
