Kership-class patrol vessel


The Kership class is a range of steel monohull offshore patrol vessels built by Kership, a joint venture of French civil shipbuilder Piriou and Naval shipbuilder DCNS.

History

The ships were originally part of the but after a rearrangement of products DCNS decided to remove the OPV from the Gowind class and develop the OPVs as a class of their own with top of the range. To do so it formed the Kership joint venture with the Piriou shipyard in Concarneau, Brittany in May 2013 to build and market lightly armed and armoured OPVs for customs, fishing and other home security missions. DCNS said this would enable it to concentrate on "developing relations" with clients seeking, heavily armed and armoured warships while Kership handles the more civilian-standard OPVs.
After repeated negotiations and break-offs, in February 2018 the Argentine Navy was instructed to restart negotiations with Naval Group for the procurement of four Gowind-class vessels. The decision was motivated by the meeting between Argentine President Mauricio Macri and French President Emmanuel Macron at the annual World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland. An order for four vessels was expected in July 2018. In November 2018, Argentina confirmed the purchase of four Gowind-class vessels. The purchase includes the already-built, which in 2016 visited the region on a marketing trip, and three new vessels. Four ships, one being transferred from the French Navy, entered service between 2019 and 2022.

Vessels

Argentina (incl. one former French vessel)

On 9 May 2010, DCNS started the building of one self-funded 1,410t Gowind patrol corvette called L'Adroit and announced that the craft will be made available to the French Navy between 2012 and 2015. The vessel is designed for patrol and sovereignty enforcement in littoral and exclusive economic zone waters and offers three weeks' endurance and a range of. Missions include special forces deployment by launching within 5 minutes and recovering two UFAST UFR 9.30 rigid-hulled inflatable boats from a stern ramp. It was sold to Argentina in 2018 and commissioned as ARA Bouchard. Three additional vessels were then acquired under a new construction contract with France.

Gabon

On 29 October 2014, Ernest Mphouho Epigat, defence minister for the Gabonese Republic signed a contract with Piriou to supply two offshore patrol vessels to the Gabonese Navy. One was to be of the Kership design. The unnamed vessel was called OPV50 by Piriou. However, the purchase was reportedly deferred in 2016.

Specifications

  • Length overall 58.20 m
  • Beam 9.50 m
  • Draught 2.70 m
  • Speed 21 kn
  • Range 5,000 NM at 12 kn
  • Hull / superstructure steel / aluminium
  • Accommodation capacity 36 pers.
– crew 28 pers.
– special personnel 8 pers.
  • Weaponry
– 1 x 20 mm gun on the fore-deck
– 2 x 12.7 mm machine guns