Polish delegation, including PGZ SA and PGZ Stocznia Wojenna attends steel cut for second UK Royal Navy Type 31 Inspiration Class frigate at Rosyth, Scotland
Delegates from PGZ SA and PGZ Stocznia Wojenna (PGZ SW) have attended the first cut of steel for HMS ACTIVE, the UK’s second of five Type 31 frigates being built by Babcock for the UK’s Royal Navy at Rosyth, Scotland. Building on the Polish-British strategic partnership in the naval sector, which was established for Poland’s MIECZNIK new-build frigate programme, senior members including Sebastian Chwałek, President of the Polish Armaments Group, Cezary Cierzan, MIECZNIK Frigate Program Director, Paweł Lulewicz. President of the Board w PGZ Stocznia Wojenna, Col. Piotr Paluch, Deputy Head of the Armaments Agency and Commander Piotr Skóra, Head of the Maritime Technology, Armaments Agency visited Rosyth for the historic ceremony and held further discussions with Babcock around the practical approach to the implementation of TOKAT and the development of skills necessary to start work on Polish frigates in 2023.
Sebastian Chwałek, president of PGZ SA, said during the ceremony: “Today’s event is a historic moment. Steel cut on second UK Royal Navy Type 31 Inspiration Class frigate is also an important ceremony for the Polish Miecznik programme, because it shows that our British partners deliver their project on time. It was also an opportunity to discuss further steps related to the development of the Miecznik programme, and above all, the transfer of knowledge and technology. I am convinced that thanks to the British experience in the Type 31 programme, as well as the skills of Polish employees and members of the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium, we will deliver these frigates, which are extremely important for Poland’s security – on schedule and in the optimal configuration.”
In September 2022, the contract was signed for Class Design and a framework agreement on the transfer of knowledge and technology (TOKAT). The agreement covers sharing by Babcock of experience gained during the construction of ships in Great Britain under the Type 31 programme and will support Poland in the development of shipbuilding technologies and the modernisation of existing shipyards, aimed at shaping a world-class and competitive shipbuilding industry.
At the beginning of October last year, Secretary of State for Defence of Great Britain and the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Poland signed a Statement of Intent that expressed the intentions of both parties to deepen intergovernmental cooperation between the two countries in the integration of the Babcock-designed Arrowhead 140 (AH140) frigate with the Polish MIECZNIK programme.
