Barely docked after the second POLARIS phase of ORION, Commandant Bouan was already busy with new perspectives: the simultaneous conduct of IRINI mission preparation and maintenance operations on his 100MM turret and port main engine.
It is therefore equipped with its drone SMDM Diane that the crew of the Bouan set sail for Syracuse in Sicily, a stopover prior to its integration with Eunavformed IRINI, before joining its first patrol area. The ship embarked a specialized marine intervention team (ESIM), from the Le Goffic Marine Rifle Company based in Cherbourg, to reinforce the visiting team responsible for conducting consensual approaches and ship visits during the mission.
Launched on 31 March 2020, Operation EUNAVFORMED IRINI aims to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya with air, space and maritime assets. It also conducts secondary missions related to migrant or oil smuggling and includes a training component for the Libyan coast guard. The France, through the action of the French Navy, is an important contributor to the EUNAVFORMED IRINI operation.
PHM Commandant Bouan recently contributed to the operation between mid-September and mid-October 2022. During this period, its crew carried out 90 ship interrogations (hailings) and 10 so-called friendly approaches, which consist of sending the visiting team close to the ships in order to exchange information.