ORLEN Foundation delivers PLN 1.2 million rescue boat to Poland's SAR station in Łeba

Poland's Maritime Search and Rescue Service has taken delivery of a hybrid rescue boat worth nearly PLN 1.2 million, around EUR 275,000, funded by the ORLEN Foundation, the corporate foundation of the country's largest multi-energy group. The fully equipped vessel, named Kajetan and supplied together with a road trailer, will be stationed in Łeba on Poland's central Baltic coast. It will operate year-round in search and rescue missions, safety support tasks and medical evacuations at sea.

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29 august 2026   |   21:26   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Fundacja ORLEN

Designed together with rescue crews

The concept of the vessel was developed in close cooperation with the SAR service, so that its parameters, equipment and functionality match the real needs of rescuers and the specific character of operations at sea. Kajetan reaches a speed of at least 30 knots and has been prepared for year-round service with a three-person crew. The boat features a cabin adapted to work in extreme conditions, space to carry a casualty secured on a spinal board, and a full suite of navigation and communications equipment.

– At sea, it is impossible to predict the moment when someone will need help, but it is possible to be prepared for that moment. And that is exactly what this investment is for. We want the rescuers who take responsibility for other people's lives every day to have equipment that allows them to act quickly and effectively – says Dariusz Krysiak, president of the ORLEN Foundation. – At the ORLEN Foundation we respond to the specific needs of local communities, and handing over this vessel is the best example of that approach.

Another donation for Poland's sea rescuers

The boat marks the latest stage in the cooperation between the ORLEN Foundation and the Maritime Search and Rescue Service, the state agency responsible for search and rescue operations in the Polish zone of the Baltic Sea. In 2025 the foundation donated a set of twenty specialised protective suits worth nearly PLN 140,000, around EUR 32,000, to the service. Both sides also hold regular talks on further measures intended to strengthen the safety of people at sea, the continuity of maritime operations and the protection of the Baltic environment.

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the ORLEN na Straży (ORLEN on Guard) programme, under which the group has been supporting Polish fire and rescue services. As Sylwia Snopkiewicz, executive director for sponsorship at ORLEN, points out, the company understands the programme's name broadly, as covering all the people who are first to arrive wherever help is needed.

– Our role is to create the best possible conditions for them to operate, by investing in equipment and solutions that genuinely increase their readiness and effectiveness. Handing over the new vessel to the SAR station in Łeba is exactly this kind of support, one that will work for the safety of people on the Baltic every single day – says Sylwia Snopkiewicz.

Named after a Łeba rescuer

The name of the new vessel carries a symbolic meaning. Kajetan commemorates the late Kajetan Zawadzki, a long-serving rescuer at the Coastal Rescue Station in Łeba and an employee of the Maritime Search and Rescue Service, who for years brought help to others on the Baltic. His name will now accompany the crews setting out on future operations.

– For the Maritime Search and Rescue Service, every new unit means above all a greater capacity to bring help at sea and a boost to the operational potential of our rescuers. Kajetan was prepared drawing on the experience of the people who conduct operations on the Baltic on a daily basis, which is why it answers the real needs of our service. We are glad that the name of Kajetan Zawadzki will remain part of our service and from today will accompany rescuers during future operations – says Przemysław Soiński, spokesman for the Maritime Search and Rescue Service.

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łódź ratownicza Kajetan Fundacja ORLEN ratownictwo morskie morska służba poszukiwania i ratownictwa BSR Łeba

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