France’s Piriou has delivered an ex-French Navy P400 patrol vessel to Cote d’Ivoire following modernisation and upgrades.
On 9 September Piriou said the vessel, named Rear Admiral Fadika after Lamine Fadika, was handed over in a ceremony in Concarneau, France.
Piriou said the overhaul of the patrol vessel was carried out by its subsidiary Piriou Naval Services (PNS) with the support of the Kership joint venture. Modernisation work covered the propulsion system, generators, replacement of secondary systems (osmosis unit, firefighting pumps, refrigeration unit etc.), accommodation, navigation and communication equipment, weapons systems, and boats.
The vessel can carry 25 crew and 18 passengers. Top speed of the vessel is 21 knots and range 5 000 nautical miles at 13 knots. Armament comprises a Bofors 40 mm cannon on the foredeck.
Rear Admiral Fadika is the ex-French La Tapageuse, a 54 metre vessel of the P400 class. The class was acquired by France in the early 1980s and subsequently retired. P400s have been sold to Kenya and Gabon.
“This contract also includes a training session for the crew to handle the vessel at Concarneau before departure as well as a Maintenance in Operational Condition contract for a period of two years,” Piriou said.
Piriou president Vincent Faujour said: “This delivery is the result of work undertaken several years ago between Piriou and the authorities of Côte d’Ivoire. Beyond the redesign of the ship, it is a relationship of cooperation and trust that has been established and that we are committed to cultivate.”
Cote d’Ivoire is also due to receive two OPV-45 offshore patrol vessels as it overhauls and expands its navy. These have been ordered from Israel. In December 2020, Israel Shipyards began construction of two OPV-45s for Cote d’Ivoire. At the time, Israel Shipyards did not reveal who the customer was, only saying the vessels would be delivered in the next two years.
The OPV-45 was launched at the IMDEX show in May 2019 as a cost-effective solution mainly for the export market, especially in the Asia-Pacific, Africa and South America. The design is 45.7 metres long, has a beam of 8.6 metres and displacement of 300 tons. It can accommodate between 16 and 21 crew, and has additional berth for up to 24 personnel.
Weapons options include stabilised naval gun systems of up to 30 mm on the foredeck and 12.7 mm machineguns elsewhere on the vessel. Israel Shipyards said the African customer’s vessels will be equipped with day/night observation systems as well as stabilized weapon systems, both Israeli-made.
