France's defence procurement agency, the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), has awarded Piriou a contract for 16 tugs for the French Navy.
The contract, announced on October 29, covers four firm vessels, options for 12 more and in-service support. The firm vessels will be built at Concarneau in Brittany, with the first tugs to reach naval bases from 2028.
The DGA said the design is taken from Piriou's civilian tug range and adapted for manoeuvring nuclear submarines, an approach it said allows series production and shorter delivery times.
The tugs will serve port-support services at naval bases in mainland France and the overseas territories.
Their missions include handling ballistic-missile and attack submarines and first-rank surface warships, firefighting, pollution response, exclusive economic zone surveillance and support for fisheries inspections.
The tug has a length of 26 metres, a beam of 9.2 metres and a full-load displacement of 370 tonnes. Two azimuthing stern drives deliver 30 tonnes of bollard pull and a maximum speed of 11 knots. The tugs will have a crew of six and can operate up to 200 nautical miles offshore for several days.
"Piriou is the last French builder of tugs with more than 30 tonnes of bollard pull," said Piriou president Vincent Faujour.
The order follows a 2020 contract under which four harbour and coastal tugs, led by Céladon, were delivered to the navy.