As part of her operational readiness course (MECO), which takes place from 19 January to 2 February 2026, surveillance frigate (FS) Prairial and the overseas support and assistance vessel (BSAOM) Bougainville conducted a humanitarian assistance, defence and rescue (HADR) exercise.
This exercise, carried out at anchor off the Tahiti peninsula on 26 January, made it possible to assess the ability of French Navy units based in French Polynesia to aid a population in the event of a natural disaster.
The sailors of the Prairial and the Bougainville took care of 80 nationals, played by the students of the respective ships’ defense classes, from their check-in on land to their embarkation on board. On land, the seconded teams have set up a secure system to welcome, register and transport nationals to the ships at anchor. A medical cell was also deployed on site to ensure the care of any “wounded” and their evacuation to Bougainville, which served as an advanced medical post. The 80 evacuees were then welcomed on board the Prairial and the Bougainville, whose crews adapted their organization to ensure sustainable care.
This training, which focuses on assisting the population in the event of a natural disaster – the main risk in French Polynesia remains the cyclone – is of paramount importance for the ships of the French Navy. It allows them to maintain their ability to intervene quickly and effectively in the area. In addition, this exercise, carried out in collaboration with the defence classes, strengthened the links between them and their respective sponsoring units. It also offered the students the opportunity to discover an essential dimension of the Navy: the protection and rescue of populations around the world.