On January 10 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Agnès PANNIER-RUNACHER, Minister of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, the Sea and Fisheries announced the award of the contract for the construction of a new generation patrol boat to the consortium made up of the French shipyard SOCARENAM and the naval architecture firm MAURIC. This order provides for delivery of the vessel in the second half of 2027.
The maritime affairs control and surveillance system (DCS) is currently made up of five patrol boats dedicated to monitoring maritime navigation, fisheries policing and the marine environment.
On March 22, 2024, the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA) launched a call for tenders for the construction of a new generation patrol boat, firmly in line with the ecological and energy transition.
The future maritime affairs patrol vessel will be designed and built in France by the SOCARENAM shipyard in Boulogne-sur-Mer, in association with its partner, the MAURIC naval architecture firm located in Marseille. SOCARENAM has internationally recognized expertise in the construction of patrol vessels.
The vessel will also have a reduced environmental footprint. It goes well beyond the GYPTIS maritime affairs patrol vessel, which entered service in Marseille in 2022 and already incorporated several innovations designed to reduce consumption and pollutant emissions. With this new control unit, the maritime affairs administration is acquiring the first French surveillance and control vessel with sailing assistance, thus meeting French ambitions in terms of decarbonization of maritime navigation.
A “new generation” patrol boat affirming France’s ambitions in terms of decarbonization of the maritime sector
From the definition of the project, the Ministry chose a patrol boat with a reduced environmental footprint, reflecting the desire to integrate the environmental performance criterion for all the procedures linked to the fleet of public vessels.
With a length of 54 metres, the vessel will have a steel hull and an aluminium superstructure to reduce its displacement and thus limit its energy consumption. Its propulsion will be particularly innovative: in addition to a conventional diesel propulsion system, the vessel will have a diesel-electric system to optimise power management and significantly reduce carbon emissions between 0 and 10 knots. It will also be equipped with a sail providing low-carbon assistance for mission phases involving slow movements, for example during checks carried out at sea by patrol boat inspection teams.
Both the ship’s main engines and generators will meet the most demanding international environmental standards (IMO TIER III) and the on-board energy will be partly produced by photovoltaic panels.
A patrol boat that meets the challenges of managing fisheries resources and protecting the marine environment in the Bay of Biscay
The acquisition of a new patrol vessel confirms France’s firm commitment to meeting the objectives it has set for itself in terms of surveillance and control of fisheries and the marine environment.
Based in La Rochelle, the patrol vessel will notably carry out control missions for French and European deep-sea fishing fleets targeting regulated species and monitor measures to reduce accidental catches of cetaceans. This more efficient means will also allow for an increased contribution to joint control deployment plans with other Member States of the European Union, notably Ireland and Spain.
The commissioning of the patrol boat, which will replace the IRIS built in 1988, will guarantee a reinforced presence in offshore marine protected areas in addition to the resources deployed near the coast and will ensure the monitoring of marine works, particularly in the context of the development of offshore wind power.