French shipbuilder Socarenam recently floated out a new patrol vessel ordered by the Belgian Navy.
The future BNS Vega is the third Castor-class patrol vessel to be built by Socarenam for the Belgian Navy. The first two ships, BNS Castor and BNS Pollux, have been in service since 2014 and 2015, respectively, while the newest ship is scheduled to be operational by 2027.
Like her sisters, the future Vega will be deployed on exclusive economic zone patrols, environmental protection, fisheries enforcement, protection of critical infrastructure, counter-smuggling operations, and search and rescue.
The vessel utilises a design developed originally by French naval architecture firm Mauric.
Upon completion, she will have a length of 53.5 metres, a displacement of approximately 570 tons, space for two rigid inflatable boats, and accommodation for up to 30 crewmembers. Two MTU 16V4000M73L diesel engines will deliver a top speed of over 22.5 knots and a range of 2,800 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 16 knots.
Armament will include a 12.7mm heavy machine gun fitted on a remotely controlled weapon station and two pintle-mounted light machine guns.
