The Polish Navy will receive three Kormoran II-type mine countermeasure vessels. The agreement to deliver the ships will be signed on Sunday in Świnoujście by the Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak, the defence ministry said on Friday.
As explained in the Ministry’s communiqué, the parties to the agreement are the State Treasury (Armament Agency) and the consortium: Remontowa Shipbuilding shipyard together with PGZ Stocznia Wojenna and the Research and Development Centre (Centrum Techniki Morskiej).
The subject of the agreement is the acquisition of three more modern minehunters of the Kormoran II type together with logistic support packages. According to the Ministry of Defence, together with the ORP Kormoran prototype vessel and the ORP Mewa and ORP Albatros series vessels, they will form part of the Polish Navy’s mine defence system.
MON announces that the vessels will be delivered between 2026 and 2027 and will form part of the 12th minesweeper squadron of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla.
Kormoran II type vessels are used for searching, identifying and combating sea mines, conducting reconnaissance of waterways, guiding other vessels through mine threat areas, laying mines and remote control of self-propelled anti-mine platforms.
MON recalls that the ceremonial flag-raising on ORP Kormoran – the first prototype vessel – took place on 28 November 2017. The contract for the construction of two serial units of Project 258 – ORP Albatros and ORP Mewa, was signed in late December 2017. The second of the ORP Albatros series was launched in October 2019 and is currently undergoing military commissioning trials, while the third ORP Mewa was launched in December 2020 and is currently undergoing contractor-implemented sea trials.
ORP Albatros – as announced by the Ministry of Defence – should be handed over to the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla in August, while the expected acceptance of ORP Mewa should take place in November this year.
source: PortalMorski.pl
