Piriou cuts steel for first of three patrol vessels for Senegalese Navy

French shipbuilder Piriou has cut the first steel for a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) slated for the Senegalese Navy.

The vessel will be the first of a planned three that had been ordered by the Senegalese armed forces ministry in November 2019.

The OPV will have an LOA of 62 metres, a displacement of 550 tonnes, a maximum speed of 21 knots, and deck space for two rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). Armament will include anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and a naval gun.