The Patrouilleurs Outre-mer (POM), or Félix Éboué class, are a class of offshore patrol vessels of the French Navy. They are to be based at Nouméa, Tahiti and La Réunion, replacing the P400-class patrol vessels which are nearing the end of their service. At 1,300 tonnes, the POM class ships have four times the displacement of the P400 and possess a wider range of capabilities. The lead ship, Auguste Bénébig, was commissioned in May 2023, with delivery of all six units ordered expected by 2026.[1][2]
History
Conception
Work conducted in the framework of the BATSIMAR programme and the 2017 Strategic Study for National Defence and Security[3] determined that protecting French overseas regions required capabilities of opposing terrorist action and threats of encroachment. They defined two families of patrol vessels: new generation high sea patrol vessels (patrouilleurs de haute mer de nouvelle génération, PHM-NG), or Oceanic Patrol Vessel; and Overseas Patrol Vessels (Patrouilleurs Outre-mer, POM). The POM are designed to protect territories and conduct coast guard duties, without significant offensive armament. The Direction générale de l'Armement (DGA) issued an invitation to tender for construction in August 2018.[4]
Order
On 3 November 2019, during the Assises de l'économie de la mer, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the Ministry of Armed Forces had assigned the contract for building the six POM to Socarenam, of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Socarenam had previously won the tender for building the Patrouilleurs Antilles-Guyane (PAG) of the Confiance type. DGA issued the official order to Socarenam on 24 December 2019.[2]
The order for design, building and maintenance was published on 12 February 2020. It was assigned jointly to Socarenam and CNN-MCO, of Brest, for a total of 223,939,897 Euros excluding VAT.[5]
Construction
The POM are named in honour of Free French fighters from the overseas regions where the ships are to be based. The ceremony for the beginning of the construction of the first ship, Auguste Bénébig, took place on 8 October 2020 during a visit of Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly at the Socarenam shipyard in Saint-Malo.[6] The ship was launched on 15 October 2021 at Saint-Malo, and towed to Boulogne-sur-Mer where she arrived on 18 October for her fitting out. She started trials on 26 July 2022, partly from the naval base in Brest. She was commissioned in July 2023 after arriving in Nouméa.[7][8]
Characteristics
The Félix Éboué-class vessels displace 1,300 tons fully loaded., with a length of 80 metres (262 ft 6 in), a beam of 11.8 m (38 ft 9 in), and draught of 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in).[9][10] The crew is made up of 30 sailors, but they can accommodate 29 passengers and support combat divers.[2] They are designed to operate in strong heat and high hygrometry during thirty days, with their own craning capabilities. They have two 8 m (26 ft) swift inflatable boats and an Survey Copter AliacaUAV. The drone, capable of up to three-hour missions over a 50-kilometre (31 mi) range, is launched by catapult and recovered automatically via a net.[11] Eleven Aliaca UAS systems are being delivered to the French Navy by 2023 and thirteen more by 2025.[12]
Six patrol vessels are planned for the French Navy.[9] The first unit began her transit to her base at Nouméa in New Caledonia in January 2023, arrived in early April[15][16][17][18][19] and was commissioned in July.[20] A second vessel, Teriieroo a Teriierooiterai, sailed for her new base at Papeete in March 2024[21] and arrived in May after rounding Cape Horn.[22] She was commissioned in July 2024.[23] A further ship (Auguste Techer) will be based at La Réunion and began sea trials in September 2024. These will be followed by three additional vessels, one more each at Tahiti, New Caledonia and Réunion. The ships are replacing the P400-class patrol boats as well as the patrol boats Le Malin and Arago in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.[2]
