Poland's maritime Border Guard receives new patrol vessel
The Border Guard's maritime unit has received a new patrol vessel which will operate mainly in the Baltic Sea, the interior minister announced on the X platform on Saturday.
Mariusz Kamiński wrote in his post that the SG-301 offshore patrol vessel (OPV) could be used, among other activities, to reveal illegal attempts to cross the EU's maritime borders and take part in rescue operations.
The patrol vessel, the largest in the Border Guard's maritime fleet, is expected to perform its tasks mainly in the Baltic Sea and, if necessary, also in the Mediterranean Sea.
In addition to its border protection duties, the vessel will also be used to control the maritime transport of waste and harmful chemicals, and that participate in rescue and humanitarian operations, according to the Border Guard (SG).
The vessel arrived in Poland from France in early September this year. It is nearly 70 metres long and 11.5 metres wide and has a draft of about 4.5 metres. It will have 20 permanent crew members on board.
The Border Guard signed the contract to build the patrol vessel in October 2020 with the French shipyard Socareanam. The value of the order was close to PLN 111 million (EUR 25 mln), according to the SG, and 90 percent of the construction was financed through the European Union Internal Security Fund, with the remaining funds provided from the state budget.
