French Navy's third POM-class patrol vessel arrives at new homeport

The French Navy's third POM-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) recently arrived at her new homeport on La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

Auguste Techer is the third in the six-strong POM-class designed by French naval architecture firm Mauric and built by Socarenam. Class lead ship Auguste Benebig was handed over to the French Navy in 2023.

The OPV's missions will include maritime patrol, marine environmental protection, fisheries enforcement, counter-narcotics trafficking, and search and rescue.

The vessel has 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 hybrid electric propulsion system 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. Weaponry is therefore limited to two 7.62mm machine guns, two 12.7mm machine guns, and a 20mm autocannon on a remotely controlled mount at the bow.