Remontowa launches minehunter, tugboat for Polish Navy

Polish shipbuilder Remontowa Shipbuilding recently launched a mine countermeasures vessel (MCMV) and an ice-class multi-purpose tug for the Polish Navy.

The double launching ceremony took place in Gdansk on 17 December 2020.

The ORP Mewa (603) is the third Kormoran II-class minehunter ordered by the navy.

The lead ship of this type, ORP Kormoran (601), entered service in 2017. The second unit, ORP Albatros (602) is slated for delivery in 2021 and is currently in the final construction phase. The navy plans to build three more ships in the coming years.

The newbuilds will operate in the waters of the Polish exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as well as participate in NATO’s countermeasure group in the Baltic and North Sea.

ORP Mewa, like ORP Albatros, will differ in equipment from the prototype ORP Kormoran. The main differences are due to the use of a different set of vehicles forming the ship’s mine defence system. The novelty is among others GAVIA system and Saab DE SAROV submarine vehicle, but an important change is the Kraken KATFISH 180 towed sonar. Another hardware modification is the use of the OSU-35 ship cannon caliber 35 mm instead of ZU-23 “Wróbel”. On newer mine destroyers, there will also be changes in the configuration of communication and navigation systems.

Przemko (H-13), the last in a series of six multi-role tugboats being built for the Polish Navy, was also launched on 17 December.

B860 tugboats have a displacement of 490 tons and the capacity to carry 4 tons of cargo. The tugs will be used for military and logistical operations support at sea and in ports as well as for technical evacuations, personnel transfers, search and rescue operations and oil spill recovery.

Thanks to FSIC IA ice-class reinforcement, these vessels can also be deployed in the Baltic Sea at any time of the year,

All six tugs will feature Schottel propulsion solutions.

Remontowa Shipbuilding SA has already delivered four tugboats Bolko, Gniewko, Mieszko and Semk. Port trials on the fifth tugboat, H-3 Leszko, will continue until next January.