On Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Gdańsk, with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, a contract was signed for the delivery of hydrographic ships under the codename Hydrograf. The contract, concluded between the State Treasury, represented by the Armament Agency, and Remontowa Shipbuilding, covers the acquisition of two hydrographic ships for the Polish Navy. The order is worth approximately 1.5 billion PLN net. The contract is financed from European Union funds under the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) loan program.
Photos: Ministry of National Defence, Armament Agency
The ships built under the Hydrograf program are specialized support vessels intended for the acquisition, collection, and processing of geospatial data using specialist equipment. They will have the capability to carry out geographic and navigational-hydrographic support tasks for the Polish Armed Forces and allies, both in Poland and abroad, as well as the ability to exchange data with equivalent NATO systems.
The ship’s overall length will be approximately 60 m, and its maximum beam approximately 13 m. Its range will be approximately 5,000 nautical miles, and its maximum speed around 13 knots.
The new hydrographic ships will replace Project 874 vessels: ORP Heweliusz (265) and ORP Arctowski (266), known in NATO code as Modified Finnik, which entered service on November 27, 1982.
It is worth noting that on July 18, 2018, the then Armament Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defense published information on its intention to conduct a technical dialogue concerning the acquisition of two hydrographic ships under the codename Hydrograf.
On June 24, 2024, the Armament Agency published information on its intention to conduct preliminary market consultations concerning a single hydrographic ship. On August 22, 2024, the Armament Agency’s spokesman, Lt. Col. Grzegorz Polak, informed the editorial team of MILMAG Military Magazine about the entities interested in participating in the procedure: PGZ Group, Fincantieri S.p.A., Saab Kockums AB, Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A., and Enamor Sp. z o.o., the latter only in the scope of equipping the ship with equipment and systems.
Ultimately, under the SAFE program, a decision was made to acquire two ships.
“Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. is our proven and good partner. I am convinced that in the case of our next project, this cooperation will also be very good. The purchase of additional ships is also our response to threats. The Polish Navy is not being overlooked in SAFE. Today’s contract is an investment in security, but also in more jobs,” Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
“From the beginning, when designing Poland’s application to the SAFE program, it was important for us that all branches of the Armed Forces be supported with equipment financed from this program. This is possible because Poland is the largest beneficiary of the SAFE program,” Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said in Gdańsk.
Umowa na dostawę dwóch okrętów hydrograficznych pod kryptonimem HYDROGRAF podpisana! Budowane przez Stocznię Remontową Shipbuilding S.A jednostki wsparcia przeznaczone będą do pozyskiwania, gromadzenia i przetwarzania danych geoprzestrzennych dzięki specjalistycznemu wyposażeniu.… pic.twitter.com/FZ4p6elqBz
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) May 28, 2026
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