PIRIOU shipyard yesterday, 21 October held a steel cutting ceremony for the first of three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) for the Senegalese Navy.
The steel cutting event took place at PIRIOU’si facility in France, and was attended by General Birame DIOP, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Senegal and Admiral Oumar Wade, Chief of Staff of the Navy of Senegal.
The contract for three OPV 58 S was signed in November 2019 by the Ministry of Armed Forces of Senegal and the PIRIOU group, while the delivery is set to take place by mid-2023. Included in the contract is a follow on support which will be conducted at PIRIOU NGOM site in Senegal.
PIRIOU’s subsidiary KERSHIP is providing its expertise in the ship building project.
‘This contract is the fruit of four years of joint work between the teams of PIRIOU and the Staff of the Navy of Senegal, which allowed us to design new generation patrol vessels perfectly answering the requirements of the Senegalese Navy. I thank the Senegalese government for their confidence, which obviously honours us, but above all obliges us.
They can count on our total commitment. This project is also a real success for the ‘Pass Export’, an initiative of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance of which PIRIOU was the first signatory on February 23rd 2018. This system promotes and accelerates our ability to offer export financing and guarantees.’ says Vincent Faujour, PIRIOU Gtour Chief Executive Officer.
The OPV 58 S is part of the Senegalese Navy fleet recapitalisation efforts which began in 2019. This procurement and acquisition plan was first showcased to the international public during the Africa Maritime Security Forum (AMSF 2020) held between 20th – 22nd January, 2020 in Dakar, Senegal.
The OPV 58 S can undertake a variety of missions due to its robust and versatile nature. Amongst such missions is its anti-surface warfare and anti-aircraft deterrent capability through a potent array of offensive weapons systems.
With a crew of 48 (24 crew + 24 mission personnel) and a maximum speed of 12 knots, the OPV 58 S can stay at sea for 25 days or travel 4,500 nautical miles.
Some of the ongoing procurement and acquisitions by Senegal Navy includes: 25 Metres Shaldag MK2 fast patrol craft, 33 Metres MK5 patrol craft, 62 Metres OPV 58 S Offshore Patrol Vessel, 100 metre BSL Logistics Support Ship.
In May, Senegal ordered four Shaldag Mk II vessels from Israel, and a single Shaldag Mk V. The first vessel, Anambe, was launched in February 2019 and the second, Soungrougrou, was launched in August 2019 and delivered to the port of Dakar later in the year.
