Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov on behalf of the Government of Ukraine has signed an agreement with the Minister of Internal Affairs of France on the procurement of 20 patrol boats.
Posted on twitter by Arsen Avakov, who is on a visit to France. The agreement was signed on November 19 during Milipol 2019 exhibition. After ratification of the agreement by the Verkhovna Rada, a technical contract will be signed. Ukraine will receive its first boat in 2021.
OCEA’s 32 meters-long FPB 98 patrol boat has a crew complement of 14 sailors and features a maximum speed of 35 knots. The FPB 98 is currently in service with the Suriname Coast Guards and the Navy of Algeria and Nigeria, as well as the Suriname Coast Guard.
Avakov explained that the OCEA proposal was the most advantageous, economically speaking, for Ukraine, as France offered a comprehensive approach to credit financing and agreed to localize 25% of the production in Ukraine.
The contract value is € 136.5 million. It includes "partial financing from loans from both commercial banks and from the Treasury loan of the Ministry of Finance of France. The loan is provided by the state of France. Ukraine will 15% from the budget, while the remaining 85% will be provided by the loan," the Minister of Internal Affairs explained.
In addition to the production and supply of ships, the project consists in a comprehensive service offer which includes training of 240 crew members and 120 technical personnel, spare parts and tools required for maintenance during 2 years of operation (or 2400 hours), and technical support in Ukraine within 60 months from the date of delivery of the first ship.
