From March this year construction of the highest hull hall in the Polish shipbuilding industry and a modern production hall is underway. This involved the work of a consortium consisting of NDI S.A., NDI SOPOT S.A. and Pekabex BET, which carry out a project related to the creation of new facilities, as well as the reconstruction of the existing infrastructure. According to the plan then, the works are to be completed in June 2024.
The event was attended by Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin, Minister Marcin Horała, Pomeranian Voivode Dariusz Drelich, MEP Anna Fotyga, President of PGZ Naval Shipyard Piotr Lulewicz, Managing Director of the Babcock International Shipyard in Rosyth Sean Donaldson, Head of the Armament Board of the Naval Inspectorate at the General Command of the Branches of the Armed Forces cadm. Włodzimierz Kułagin, commander of the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla cadm. Piotr Sikora, head of the naval technology department at the Armament Agency, Cmdr Piotr Skóra, U.S. Defense Attaché Cmdr Matthew Zublic, as well as representatives of the shipbuilding industry of the consortium building the facilities and local authorities.
"When the assets of the Naval Shipyard were taken over from the receiver by the Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa) in 2017, few believed that the largest ships in our history of the Polish Navy would be built on the site by the Polish arms industry. Since then, we have come a long and difficult way. Today we are taking an important step forward, we have started the largest investment in the history of this shipyard. We have managed to rebuild the trust of our most important client, the naval armed forces. Nevertheless, our goal is to build ships not only for Poland, but also for other countries. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but everything indicates that we are going in the right direction," said PGZ Naval Shipyard President Paweł Lulewicz.
"Today we are implementing a great plan to strengthen Poland's military potential. This year, over PLN 100 billion is allocated to defence. We are expanding the Polish army, recreating the potential of military units, especially in the east of the country. We want to ensure that the Polish defense industry is reactivated. This investment in the construction of frigates is important from the point of view of defense, but also of economic potential" said Minister Jacek Sasik.
"In 2020, we had a similar ceremony to start the construction of our investments in Rosyth. A year later, we started our investments, among which was our new production hall. These investments constituted a great change, thanks to which our shipyard gained new possibilities, greater efficiency in the construction of ships for the Royal Navy. Today, the Naval Shipyard in Gdynia will gain new, much greater opportunities to deliver ships for the Polish Navy. Now the hard work begins, but the effort will be reflected in the future. With the support of the government and the local community, PGZ Stocznia Wojenna and Babcock International have all the means to create a strong partnership" said Sean Donaldson.
In the next part of the ceremony, the foundation act was read out, which was then signed by the participants of the ceremony. It was then placed in a time capsule along with many other items, such as construction equipment, everyday items and a newspaper from that day. It is planned to open in 2123.
Run since March the investment in the shipyard is to significantly increase its production capacity. The most important undertaking is the construction of a new hall in which, among others, hulls of three multi-purpose frigates of the "Miecznik" program. The hull hall of the PGZ Naval Shipyard in Gdynia will be made of a steel structure, 43 meters high. Large-size gates will reach similar dimensions: 43 meters high and 34 meters wide, and the overhead cranes will be able to lift up to 100 tons. It will be one of the largest facilities of this type in Europe. An integral part of the investment is also the project of the Service and Logistics Center for NATO ships, which is to confirm the ability to support allies who also operate as part of the defense of the Polish coast.
According to the design, the building area will be nearly 6,000 sq. m. m2.. and the height of the hall is to be even 46 meters, including the ventilation equipment installed on the roof. In turn, the planned production hall will house all shipyard equipment departments (the building area is almost 5,000 m2). The consortium is also responsible for the expansion and reconstruction of the quay, storage yards and internal roads, along with the modernization of the technical infrastructure on the premises of PGZ Stocznia Wojenna. At the present stage of the investment, demolition works have been completed and piling works have been carried out under the production hall and the office building. Currently, the construction of the sanitary and electrical network is underway. Piling for the foundations of the hull hall also began. Currently, 25 equipment units and about 60 employees are currently working on the construction site. Before the investment comes to an end, the PGZ Naval Shipyard will host the ceremony of cutting sheet metal for the construction of the first prototype frigate, announced earlier this year. This event is scheduled for August 16 this year.
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