OCEA launches Ukraine’s first fast patrol boat 98
Ukraine is set to receive its first FPB 98, pictured here as part of Suriname's coast guard. (Photo: OCEA)
French shipbuilder, OCEA, has launched the first Ukrainian FPB 98, with 19 more still expected.
OCEA has launched the BG201, the first OCEA Fast Patrol Boat (FPB) 98 MKI, during a ceremony on 9 December at the OCEA site in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
The contract was initially announced as a result of an intergovernmental agreement between France and Ukraine in November 2019 to support maritime safety and security in Ukraine.
OCEA won the international consultation launched by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior and gained the contract for a total of 20 patrol vessels.
Five of the 20 vessels will be built by Nibulon Shipyard, in Mylokaiv, Ukraine. The fleet is accompanied by a set of services including crew training, ship maintenance and technical assistance during the warranty phase.
The first vessel is set to arrive in Odessa, Ukraine, next spring. The vessels are planned to be deployed in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The FPB 98 MKI vessels are designed to be able to operate from one to two weeks within an EEZ.
They are suitable for a range of missions including, territorial and deep-sea surveillance operations, smuggling and illegal immigration control, control of vessels at sea, SAR, natural resources and blue economy protection and protecting sovereignty.
Ukrainian sovereignty has been a hot topic recently, as there are reports of a massive Russian military build-up along the border. The Ukrainian military has been enlarged in response, with two Island-class patrol boats arriving in November.
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