In March, 700 British Army vehicles and 650 soldiers returning from NATO exercises were stationed in the Free Zone in the Port of Gdańsk.

This year's NATO military exercise Steadfast Defender 2024 is the largest exercise of this type since the Cold War. In total, between 22 January and 31 May, 90,000 soldiers are taking part in many countries. A large part of them - around 20,000 - are soldiers of the British Army. The British 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team exercised in Poland. The soldiers returned to the UK by plane, but their equipment sailed from the Port of Gdańsk.

In March this year, British Army military vehicles systematically arrived in the Free Zone in the Port of Gdańsk, where they were looked after by the staff of BLG AutoTerminal Gdańsk. In total, around 700 of them were parked on the terminal apron. Over the course of a dozen or so days, they were systematically washed by BLG personnel and prepared for departure to Great Britain. On Monday, March 18, the first of two ro-ro ships tasked with transporting equipment back to Great Britain, the Eddystone, arrived at the terminal. The second vessel, Hartland Point, arrived in Gdańsk three days later. Both ships are sister ro-ro units, 193 metres long, in service since 2002. They are not owned by the Royal Army – they are operated by a private company, but are constantly used by the army. The transport was organised by a unit of 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade commanded by General Simon Smith – 17 Port and Maritime Regiment,, which in turn is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Terry Wilcox. This was done in coordination with partners in Poland, including BLG AutoTerminal Gdańsk.

– The 700 British Army vehicles that are behind me will soon be loaded onto the ship. They are ready to re-deploy to the UK after part of the Steadfast Defender exercise – Brigadier General Simon Smith told Gospodarka Morska just before the start of the loading. – This part of the exercise has been called Brilliant Jump. It is part of a wider NATO exercise involving 90,000 soldiers from the army, air force and navy – said Gen. Smith, adding that the British trained in various locations in Poland, including Drawsko Pomorskie. The aim was to develop interoperability procedures with NATO allies.

– Most importantly, it is about developing relationships between us and our NATO allies – the opportunity to work together and train together to build friendships and relationships that we will need if we are ever called into action – added Lieutenant Colonel Terry Wilcox, commanding officer, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment.

Lieutenant Colonel Terry Wilcox explained that most of the 650 soldiers taking part in the exercise had flown out of Gdańsk earlier. On site, in a camp built for the occasion in the port, there were other commanders and personnel dealing strictly with vehicles and their transport.

– Every driver has to be specially trained to operate this equipment. Learning to drive these vehicles takes ages. Drivers must first obtain a British driving license, appropriate for the type and class of vehicle, then undergo specialist driver training – said Wilcox. The British soldiers also found time to familiarize themselves with the city. – We really like Gdańsk. It's a beautiful city and very important from a historical point of view. We visited Westerplatte, there is also an amazing Museum of the Second World War, which I visited. We don't really learn about World War II from a Polish perspective, so it was really educational – said Terry Wilcox.