Yesterday the christening and launch ceremony of the future ORP Henryk Zygalski took place at Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdańsk. It is the second of a series of modern signals intelligence vessels being acquired for the Polish Navy under the Delfin programme.
The event attracted attention beyond Poland as well. Ukraine’s Militarnyi portal highlighted that the new ships significantly increase Poland’s capabilities in maritime electronic intelligence—an area that has become increasingly important in today’s security environment and in the context of the war in the region.
Second ship under the Delfin programme; the first was launched in July 2025
ORP Henryk Zygalski is the second unit being built within the programme. The first ship, ORP Jerzy Różycki, was launched on 1 July 2025 at the same shipyard.
The Delfin programme is designed to expand Poland’s military capacity for maritime signals intelligence and to strengthen situational awareness in the Baltic Sea. In official communications, the Ministry of National Defence has stressed that protecting sea lines of communication and critical infrastructure in the Baltic has become a priority in the current security landscape.
Who is building the Delfin ships and what the contract is worth
According to information published by Poland’s Armament Agency, the contract for the Delfin ships was signed on 25 November 2022 with Saab Kockums AB and was valued at close to EUR 600 million net. Saab acts as the prime contractor, while Remontowa Shipbuilding is responsible for shipyard work as a subcontractor.
A ship that acts as “eyes and ears”: what SIGINT is for
The Delfin vessels are signals intelligence platforms whose role is to collect and analyse radio and electronic emissions. During the launch ceremony of ORP Henryk Zygalski, the Polish Navy Inspector, Vice Admiral Jarosław Ziemiański, said the new ships would support national security by gathering data across the operational area of interest, monitoring maritime shipping routes, and contributing to the early-warning system—helping enable a timely response to threats.
Available industry information indicates that the project 107 ships are roughly 74.5 metres long, with commissioning planned for 2027–2028.
Replacing vessels dating back to the 1970s
The new ships are expected to join the 3rd Flotilla of Ships and ultimately replace the long-serving ORP Nawigator and ORP Hydrograf (project 863), which trace their origins to technology and designs from the 1970s.
Names with meaning: Zygalski and Różycki
Just as the first Delfin ship was named after Jerzy Różycki, ORP Henryk Zygalski also refers to Poland’s cryptologic heritage. Both men, alongside Marian Rejewski, belonged to the team that helped break the Enigma cipher—symbolically linking historical breakthroughs in intelligence to today’s electronic domain.
