Poland's most famous training ship is finally getting a successor - but not without false start. The Gdynia Maritime University (Uniwersytet Morski w Gdyni, UMG) has reopened its tender for the design and construction of a new three-masted sail training ship that will eventually replace the Dar Młodzieży, launched back in 1981. The first attempt at awarding the contract ended earlier this year without a single bid, forcing the university back to the drawing board. Here's everything currently known about the project, the new tender terms, and the specifications of the ship that will carry Poland's sail training tradition into its next chapter.
Second Tender Launched After the First One Failed
UMG's first tender for the project - officially titled "Wykonanie projektu oraz dostawa Następcy Daru Młodzieży" ("Design and Delivery of the Dar Młodzieży Successor") - closed on 1 July 2026 without attracting a single offer from shipyards. The university confirmed the failed procedure and announced it would relaunch the process after reviewing what had gone wrong.
Rather than simply repeating the same terms, UMG spent the following weeks (24–31 July) consulting directly with shipbuilding industry experts. According to UMG spokesperson Dr. Zuzanna Szwedek-Kwiecińska, potential contractors had mainly asked for more time - both to prepare their bids and to actually build the vessel once a contract was signed. The revised tender, announced this week, reflects that feedback with an extended delivery schedule.
What's Different in the New Tender
The project is still being run as a "design and build" contract under an EU-wide open tender procedure, open to both Polish and foreign shipyards. The key changes and terms in the new procedure are:
- Bid submission deadline: 30 October 2026
- Bid opening: the same day as the deadline
- Construction start: immediately after the contract is signed with the winning shipyard
- Delivery: within three years of the start of construction
That timeline is notably longer than originally planned. Under the first tender, UMG had hoped to sign a contract in 2026 and take delivery of the finished ship in 2028. With the failed first round and the newly extended schedule, that delivery date has effectively slipped - university officials have suggested a contract might not be signed before early 2027, which would push actual delivery well into the next decade.
Specifications: A Bigger, More Modern Frigate Inspired by Dar Pomorza
The new vessel will be noticeably larger than the ship it replaces, while echoing the silhouette of an even older Polish training ship, the legendary Dar Pomorza. Compared with the current Dar Młodzieży, the successor is designed to be:
| Specification | Dar Młodzieży | New Successor |
|---|---|---|
| Overall length | 108.8 m | ~112 m |
| Hull beam | 14 m | ~15 m |
| Mast height | ~49.5 m | 58.4 m |
| Sail area | ~3,015 m² | min. 3,300 m² |
| Propulsion | Conventional | Hybrid diesel-electric, ~1,300 kW |
The new ship will carry close to 170 people on board, including around 120 cadets in training - comparable capacity to the current vessel, but on a larger and more modern hull designed to meet current sail-training standards. According to UMG's Dariusz Jellonnek, head of the university's shipowning and maritime training division, the vessel is planned as a modern three-masted frigate built for top-tier training standards while keeping speed performance comparable to the current ship.
Visualization of the new vessel, source: Żeglarski info
Who's Paying, and Where the Money Comes From
The estimated construction cost is 350 million PLN, financed through Poland's multi-year government programme "Budowa statków dla uczelni morskich w latach 2025–2029" (Construction of Ships for Maritime Universities, 2025–2029). That programme is specifically designed to fund fleet renewal at Poland's maritime academies, of which the Dar Młodzieży successor is the flagship project.
What Happens to Dar Młodzieży in the Meantime
While the tender process plays out, the current Dar Młodzieży is still very much in service. The ship has just wrapped up an Atlantic training leg that included taking part in celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of United States independence in July 2026. Shortly afterward, the vessel suffered propeller damage during a storm off the US coast, and spent 16–27 August in dry dock at the Gryfia shipyard in Szczecin for repairs. Once the repair work is complete, the ship is scheduled to call at Hamburg and Stavanger before returning home to Gdynia, with arrival planned for 23 September 2026.
Given the delays to the successor project, Dar Młodzieży will likely remain Poland's primary sail training ship for several more years — extending a service record that already spans more than four decades and thousands of cadets trained for Poland's merchant marine.
FAQ: Dar Młodzieży Successor Tender
Why did the first tender fail? No shipyard submitted a bid before the 1 July 2026 deadline. UMG attributed this to the tight timeline for both bid preparation and construction, which it addressed in the revised tender.
When will the new ship be built? Under the new tender, bids are due 30 October 2026. Construction is set to begin immediately after a contract is signed, with delivery expected within three years of the start of construction.
How big will the new ship be compared to Dar Młodzieży? The successor will be around 112 metres long (versus 108.8 m), roughly 15 metres wide (versus 14 m), with masts reaching 58.4 metres — noticeably taller than Dar Młodzieży's roughly 49.5-metre rig.
Who can bid on the contract? The tender is an open, unrestricted EU procedure, meaning both Polish and foreign shipyards meeting the qualification requirements can submit offers.
What ship is the new vessel modeled after? While it's a direct successor to Dar Młodzieży, its silhouette and lines are designed to echo Dar Pomorza, one of Poland's most historically significant training ships.