French shipyard Socarenam has launched the fifth in a new class of six offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) ordered by the French Navy.
The future Philippe Bernardino belongs to the POM-class OPVs designed by French naval architecture firm Mauric and built by Socarenam. Deliveries of the ships began in 2023 with the hand-over of class lead ship Auguste Benebig.
The OPV's missions will include maritime patrol, marine environmental protection, fisheries enforcement, counter-narcotics trafficking, and search and rescue.
The completed vessel will have a length of 80 metres, a beam of 11.8 metres, a draught of 3.5 metres, a displacement of 1,300 tonnes, and space for 30 crewmembers and up to 29 additional personnel.
The vessel will be fitted with a hybrid electric propulsion system that can deliver a maximum speed of 24 knots and a range of 5,500 nautical miles. Operations are possible even in extreme heat, making the vessel suitable for the waters in and around some of France's overseas island territories.
The POM-class vessels lack missile armament due to the less demanding nature of their maritime security missions. The OPV's weaponry will therefore be limited to two 7.62mm machine guns, two 12.7mm machine guns, and a 20mm autocannon on a remotely controlled mount at the bow.
The future Philippe Bernardino will be operated in Tahiti alongside earlier sister Teriieroo a Teriierooiterai.
