Poland places order for naval rescue ship as part of Ratownik program

Poland has inked a contract with the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) for the construction of a naval rescue ship, which will be a part of the Ratownik program.

The ship acquired under the Ratownik program is a support unit, which, thanks to its specialized equipment, is intended to provide rescue support for the operational activities of submarines.

The acquired unit is another ship after the multi-purpose frigates of Project 106 (Miecznik) and minehunters of Project 258 (KORMORAN II) were ordered to strengthen the Polish Navy’s potential.

To remind, recently, Remontowa Shipbuilding laid the keel for the Polish Navy’s sixth Kormoran II minehunter.

The acquisition of this unit is directly linked to another key project for the development of the Polish Navy: the acquisition of new-type submarines (OPNT) code-named Orka.

Basic characteristics of the rescue ship include:

• Total length – approx. 96 meters,
• Maximum width – approx. 19 meters,
• Max. displacement (including additional equipment and plating): approx. 6,500 tons,
• Range – approx. 6,000 nautical miles,
• Max speed – 16 knots,
• Crew – 100 people + 9 additional staff.

The cutting of steel metal is scheduled to take place 12 months after signing the contract. The country expects the keel to be laid 2 months later. Meanwhile, the launch is planned for 2027. The Ratownik program is slated for completion in 2029.

“The implementation of the “Ratownik” program will allow us to improve all the skills, technologies and knowledge that we acquire and engage in the ongoing construction of three multi-purpose frigates for the “Miecznik” program. Cooperation between the Polish Navy and the domestic shipbuilding and arms industry in the course of implementing the Technical Modernization Plan is a generational opportunity for our companies, within which we strive to acquire competences for both surface and underwater units, in order to be able to support efforts for the maritime security of both the Republic of Poland and our allies,”
said Jan Grabowski, a member of the Management Board of PGZ responsible for maritime projects.

“The Navy needs support. (…) We do not forget about operational capabilities in the Baltic Sea, because the times are such that require greater activity in operating in the Baltic Sea. We need the capabilities, cooperation of the Baltic and Scandinavian countries,” Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz added.

In February this year, PGZ Stocznia Wojenna (PGZ Naval Shipyard) held a keel-laying ceremony for the first Miecznik-class frigate being built for the Polish Navy. Three modern Miecznik frigates for the Polish Navy will be built at PGZ in cooperation with defense companies Babcock, MBDA, Thales, and Remontowa Shipbuilding, as part of the largest contract ever awarded in the Polish shipbuilding industry.