French Navy's new POM vessel Reaches South Pacific Homeport

Naval News Staff 12 Apr 2023

French MoD press release – Translated by Naval News

The POM was integrated into a beautiful nautical parade accompanied by the sound of bagpipes and a music corps composed of sailors from the Forces of New Caledonia (FANC). Admiral Pierre Vandier, Chief of Staff of the French Navy, who was present on board, was greeted with 19 cannon shots from Brun Island of the naval base. The water cannon of the POM answered the salute.

The Caledonian population could watch the nautical parade from the Rocher à la Voile – where sailors commented on the passage of the various buildings -, the causeway of the Caledonian Nautical Circle or the hill of Ouen Toro. The family of Auguste Bénébig, including his brother and his grandson who wore the medal of the Order of the Liberation, citizens and active reservists, civil authorities, veterans, trainees of the Marines or students of defense courses were present on the quay or on the water aboard the liaison launch to admire the new building.

Admiral Vandier presented two parents with a letter from their son, a young New Caledonian sailor stationed aboard the supply ship (BRF) Jacques Chevallier, who had recently arrived in Toulon. This gesture thus links the arrival of two new buildings in their respective base ports.

The Auguste Bénébig, the first ship of a class of six patrol boats, will reinforce the resources of the French Navy in New Caledonia. The POM is an innovative vessel with improved surveillance capabilities, greater autonomy and a doubled operating radius thanks to the introduction of the Navy's new SMDM UAV on board. It is a proof of the renewal of the Navy's means to ensure its missions of sovereignty and protection of national interests in the overseas maritime areas of the Pacific.

A robust and enduring patrol ship for long and distant missions, the POM Auguste Bénébig has covered more than 20,000 kilometers in nearly 3 months at sea from Brest.

– End –

For the record, the French Minister of the Armed Forces confirmed on January 17, 2020 an order for six "POM" offshore patrol vessels (OPV). The contract was awarded on December 24, 2019 to a Socarenam / CNN MCO consortium by the French armament procurement agency (DGA). Intended for the French Navy, these OPVs will be based in French overseas territories to replace ageing P400-class patrol boats.

The future POM patrol vessels will carry out protection missions in the French exclusive economic zones (EEZ), intervention against maritime pollution and for environmental protection, as well as rescue and assistance to people.

Two patrol boats will each be based in New Caledonia (Nouméa), French Polynesia (Papeete) and La Réunion (Port-des-Galets). The first of them, based in New Caledonia, will be christened August Bénébig, a native of Noumea and will be followed by the Jean Tranape. Those destined for French Polynesia will be baptized Teriieroo a teriierooiterai and Philippe Bernardino, those in La Réunion Auguste Techer and Félix Éboué.

The POM will have an endurance of 30 days without refueling. Each ship will accommodate a crew of 30 sailors and 23 passengers and operate an unmanned aerial vehicle (SMDM Aliaca by Survey Copter). Their armament will include a 20mm caliber remote-controlled turret (Narwhal by Nexter), as well as 12.7 mm and 7.62mm machine guns. Nexeya is supplying the combat management system. HENSOLDT UK is supplying the Kelvin Hughes Mk11 SharpEye surface search radars with combined HENSOLDT MSSR 2000 IFF systems. Vestdavit is supplying fast rescue boat davit systems.

The POM vessel are 79.9 meters long and 11.8 meters wide, with a draft of 3.5 meters for a displacement of 1,300 tons at full load.

Here is our video coverage onboard POM Auguste Bénébig