► PIRIOU launches the building of first of three offshore patrol vessels ordered by Senegal

Concarneau, October 21st 2020 – At PIRIOU shipyard in Concarneau (France) took place today the first cutting ceremony in the presence of General Birame DIOP, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Senegal and Admiral Oumar WADE, Chief of Staff of the Navy of Senegal. It symbolises the beginning of the construction of the first deep-sea patrol vessel of OPV 58 S type. Intended for the Senegalese Navy, this ship is the first unit of the contract for the supply of three offshore patrol vessels. This contract was signed in November 2019 by the Ministry of Armed Forces of Senegal and the PIRIOU group, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Senegal and the French ministerial delegation.

The building programme of these three patrol vessels is carried out with the support and expertise of PIRIOU’s subsidiary KERSHIP and will spread over a period of 44 months up to summer 2024. It also provides for a support period of several years in Senegal.

Vincent Faujour, PIRIOU GROUP C.E.O. says: ‘This contract is the fruit of four years of joint work between the teams of PIRIOU and the Staff of the Navy of Senegal, which allowed us to design new generation patrol vessels perfectly answering the requirements of the Senegalese Navy. I thank the Senegalese government for their confidence, which obviously honours us, but above all obliges us. They can count on our total commitment.’ He also adds: ‘This project is also a real success for the ‘Pass Export’, an initiative of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance of which PIRIOU was the first signatory on February 23rd 2018. This system promotes and accelerates our ability to offer export financing and guarantees.’

OPV 58 S: a 62 m offshore patrol vessel

The OPV 58 S (Offshore Patrol Vessel) is a robust 62 m patrol vessel with outstanding versatility and high endurance. The OPV 58 S is dedicated to missions such as surveillance, identification and intervention, and perfectly answers the range of missions related to law enforcement. In addition to her deployment ability -intervention RHIBs- she possesses a first rank deterrence capacity thanks to her anti-surface and anti-aircraft weapon systems. Among innovations and major capacities, the vessel features:

  • A high-performance monitoring and combat system
  • A versatile design to adapt to various missions
  • A large panoramic bridge with 360° visibility
  • A fast launching and recovery system for 2 RHIBs on stern ramp
  • A C-Sharp® hull
  • A high-performance monitoring and combat system

The OPV 58 S will be equipped with MARTE MK2/N anti-ship missiles. With the ability to strike at ranges in excess of 30 kilometres and their fire-and-forget capability, these missiles will provide the means to the Senegalese Navy to enforce their maritime superiority. The vessels will also benefit from the SIMBAD-RC system and its MISTRAL missiles- this combination providing an extremely effective defence capability against all threats including anti-ship missiles, combat aircraft, UAVs, helicopters, as well as small surface threats such as those presented by FIACs. These missiles and missile systems are designed and produced by MBDA.

Main characteristics

  • Length overall 62.2 m
  • Breadth 9.5 m
  • Draught (approx.) 3 m
  • Speed 21 kn
  • Range 21 days, 4 500 NM @ at 12 kn
  • Hull / superstructure steel / aluminium
  • Accommodation 48
  • including crew 24
  • including special personnel 24
  • Intervention 2 RHIBs on stern ramps
  • Containers capacity 2 x 20’

Length overall 62.2 m Breadth 9.5 m Draught (approx.) 3 m Speed 21 kn Range 21 days, 4 500 NM @ à 2 kn Hull / superstructure steel / aluminium Accommodation 48 including crew 24 including special personnel 4 Intervention 2 RHIBs on stern ramps Containers capacity 2 x 20’

Photos courtesy Piriou

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