By order of the President of the Republic of Poland dated June 19, 2026, ORP Mewa, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Bartosz Blaszke, becomes the Polish Military Contingent within the NATO task group, designated PKW Kormoran 2026.
Parade of sub-units during the ORP Mewa farewell ceremony / Photos: Przemysław Gurgurewicz, MILMAG
The PKW’s operational period has been set at six months, from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. Its strength has been established at up to 51 soldiers with necessary support and equipment. The mission of PKW Kormoran 2026 will be to maintain the safety of allied navigation through the search, patrol, and destruction of hazardous underwater objects, in particular the arsenal of munitions sunk during both World Wars that poses a danger to shipping, as well as the clearance of mines and other hazardous underwater objects from approaches to ports and constrained waterways in the Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea, North Sea, and Atlantic Ocean. PKW Kormoran 2026 will be employed to reinforce the forces of allied nations and build operational awareness through patrolling of shipping lanes and demonstrating the presence, unity, and determination of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Deputy Squadron Commander and Chief of Staff Lieutenant Commander Katarzyna Kłosowska reports to the Head of the Naval Directorate and Deputy Inspector of the Navy Rear Admiral Mirosław Jurkowlaniec, in the presence of the new Commander of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla Captain Artur Kołaczyński and the Deputy Commander of the Maritime Operations Centre – Maritime Component Command Rear Admiral Przemysław Karaś.
During the farewell ceremony, ORP Mewa Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Bartosz Blaszke, simultaneously Commander of PKW Kormoran 2026, said:
“On behalf of myself and my crew, I declare that we will make every effort to carry out the mission entrusted to us at the highest level, so that everyone can be proud of us and of Poland. So that we achieve the set objectives and return safely to our home port after 6 months, fully integrated in action with our allies for our common security.”
Farewell muster of the crew on the stern deck
This is the first time that a Project 258 Kormoran II class vessel has joined a NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Group. It will therefore also be the first opportunity to test this currently most modern Polish vessel type in such a prolonged at-sea operation. It is also the first vessel from the 13th Minesweeper Squadron assigned to SNMCMG1 in some time. It is worth recalling that it was precisely this squadron that initiated the presence of Polish vessels in NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Groups. This first occurred in 2002, when from October 12 to December 11 the Project 206FM base minesweeper ORP Mewa (623), modernized to minehunter standard, joined MCM FORNORTH (the former name of the current SNMCMG1). Following that debut, it joined the group three more times, in 2005, 2010, and 2015.
At 12:15, the lines were cast off.
In subsequent years, the other Project 206FM vessels belonging to the 13th Minesweeper Squadron were also assigned to the group: ORP Czajka (624) four times, in 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2013; and ORP Flaming (621) also four times, in 2003, 2006, 2011, and 2014.
From 2010, the Polish mine countermeasures command ship ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki was also sent to the Standing Mine Countermeasures Groups in the command ship role. It has fulfilled this role a total of 5 times, including once as part of SNMCMG2 operating in the Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, and Black Sea, and four times as the SNMCMG1 command ship in 2010, 2013, 2023, and 2026.
As a result of joining Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1), the NATO flag was hoisted on ORP Mewa’s mast.
The last of these missions lasted for the past six months, from January 2 to June 30, when command was transferred to the Lithuanian side. During this period, an international staff operated on board ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki, with a Polish contingent under the command of Lieutenant Commander Kacper Sterne responsible for planning and coordinating the group’s activities. Following the transfer of command to the Lithuanian commander Lieutenant Commander Donatas Gečas, the vessel returns to its home port in Świnoujście tomorrow (Polish Navy vessel ORP Kontradmirał X. Czernicki once again at the head of NATO forces).
The NATO flag was also hoisted on the mast
Minesweepers of the Project 207P class from the 12th Woliński Minesweeper Squadron in Świnoujście have also joined SNMCMG1 twice: in 2023 these were ORP Drużno (641) and ORP Hańcza (642) under PKW Czernicki 2023, and in 2025 ORP Necko (639) under PKW Noteć 2025.
Currently, in addition to ORP Mewa (603), SNMCMG1 includes the Lithuanian mine countermeasures support and command ship Jotvingis (N42) and the Estonian minehunter Ugandi (M 315).
