According to a tweet published by the Chief of Staff of the French Navy on October 15, 2021, the French Navy floats out the first POM (Patrouilleurs d'Outre-Mer) Offshore Patrol Vessel Auguste Benebig.
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First POM Offshore Patrol Vessel Auguste Benebig (Picture source: Twitter account of Chief of Staff of the French Navy)
The POM is an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) built by the French shipyard Socarenam to replace the P400-class patrol boats in service with the French Navy deployed in the overseas territories. In October 2020, Florence Parly, French Minister of the Armed Forces, launched the construction phase of the first of the six POM overseas patrol boats, during a ceremony marking the first metal cut for the ship at the Saint-Malo shipyard.
The POM OPV will have a length of 80 m, a wide of 11.8 m, a draft of 3.5 m, and a displacement of 1,300 tons. The ship will be powered by a Diesel/Electric propulsion system and will reach a top speed of 24 knots with a maximum cruising range of 5,500 nautical miles at 12 knots. She will be armed with one 20mm remotely-operated cannon, two 12.7mm and two 7.62mm machine guns.
The POM will be able to operate a drone system. Its stability performance has been adapted to the navigation conditions which can be extremely difficult in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The ship also features an innovative hybrid propulsion architecture and hydrographic capability. It will be able to carry out missions of up to 30 days without refueling, with a crew of 30 sailors, and carry up to 23 passengers.
