Work at PGZ Polish Navy Shipyard is not slowing down

Work is underway on the construction of the tallest hall in Poland

PGZ Polish Navy Shipyard’s impressive projects are taking shape. It is not only the size of the Hull Hall under construction that impresses, but also the equipment with which it is being erected. A giant gate has just been installed in the Hull Hall, the surface area of which can be compared to that of three basketball courts! The construction site operates the highest lifts in Poland with a reach of up to 58 metres. Advanced work is also underway on the second of the newly constructed halls – the Production Hall. The general contractor for the project is a consortium of NDI S.A., NDI SOPOT S.A. and Pekabex BET.

Hull Hall – the giant where the Miecznik vessels will be built

Large projects are underway at the PGZ Polish Navy Shipyard related to the Miecznik programme – the construction of three multi-purpose frigates for the Polish Navy. Most visible is the construction of the tallest hall in the Polish shipbuilding industry – the Hull Hall. It will be one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe. The topping-out ceremony was held last December, marking the highest point of construction. But the builders are still not slowing down, with work going on not only inside the buildings, but also in the area around them. The height of the hall in which the hulls of the Miecznik frigates will be built is 43 metres, and including the roof-mounted ventilation unit it is up to 46 metres. For installation and enclosure related works, lifts with a reach of up to 58 metres are used. As many as five of the six lifts of this type available in Poland are currently on site.

Installation of massive gates

In mid-February, the main gate of the Hull Hall was installed, weighing as much as 34 tonnes including the engine room. The dimensions of this gate – 43 m high and 34 m wide – are best compared to the surface area of as many as three standard basketball courts. The construction team is also preparing to install a second, similar-sized gate on the opposite side of the building. Inside the hall, installation works – ventilation, gas, and electricity – are being carried out in parallel. Work on pouring the floor will begin in April.

Production Hall

In addition to the Hull Hall, a modern Production Hall is under construction at the Shipyard. “Soon all the equipment departments of PGZ SW will start working in this hall. The shipyard workers will have much better working conditions there than in the old premises and the six new machines that will be installed there will provide us with a real technological leap forward in several areas of production,” said Maciej Poprawski, the Shipyard’s Operations Director responsible for the investment process. The installation of the thermal insulation and waterproofing of the roof and wall cladding is currently being completed in the Production Hall. At the same time, all installation works and preparations are underway for the installation of the entrance gates, overhead cranes and a noise barrier scheduled for March. Pouring of the concrete floor has also begun, on which a top layer of resin will be laid in May.

New roads and more resistant quays

The technical infrastructure, quay and internal roads of the Shipyard are also being reconstructed. “There is a lot going on in terms of road reconstruction. We are making sub-bases and surfaces for pavements and manoeuvre roads. We estimate the state of progress at around 25%. As the weather conditions are favourable, we will successively commission further completed surfaces,” reports Przemysław Młynarczyk, Road Works Manager from the NDI Group. The largest project in the more than 100-year history of the PGZ Polish Navy Shipyard is worth over PLN 300 million. Construction of the halls is scheduled for completion by July 2024.