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Home» News»French Navy Commissions 3rd Loire-class BSAM Support & Assistance Vessel ‘Seine’
BSAM Seine sailing integrated a French amphibious group (with Tonnerre LHD and La Fayette frigate) as part of her long cruise. French Navy picture.

French Navy Commissions 3rd Loire-class BSAM Support & Assistance Vessel ‘Seine’

The French Navy (Marine Nationale) commissioned its third Metropolitan Offshore Support & Assistance Vessel (BSAM) on July 24, 2019. The BSAM 'Seine' is the third of four ships of a class designed and built by Kership.

Xavier Vavasseur 29 Jul 2019

During its long-term deployment that took place from March to June 2019, the BSAM Seine conducted cooperation with the Senegalese navy in Africa, integrated a French Navy amphibious group (with the Tonnerre LHD and La Fayette frigate) and even sailed 400 nautical miles up the Amazon River, demonstration its capabilities in brackish water.

En 2017, le patrouilleur polaire L’Astrolabe touchait la Terre Adélie. En 2018, le BSAM Rhône franchissait le passage du Nord Est. Aujourd’hui, le BSAM Seine remonte l’Amazone sur 400 nautiques jusqu’à Santarem. #unemarinedemploi pic.twitter.com/1YPlDeP5vF

— Chef d'état-major de la Marine (@amiralPrazuck) May 25, 2019

In March, the BSAM Rhône participated in pollution control operations following the sinking of the Grande America ship. More recently, the BSAM Loire provided on-site coordination and logistic movements in the research work of the submarine Minerve.

The French Navy changed the designation of several vessels in its fleet earlier this year. Previously known as BSAH (for Bâtiments de Soutien et d’Assistance Hauturiers or Offshore Support & Assistance Vessel) the Loire-class is now designated as BASM (for Bâtiments de Soutien et d’Assistance Métropolitains or Metropolitan Offshore Support & Assistance Vessel).

The first BSAM, the Loire, operates from Toulon; the second ship of the class, the Rhone, operates from Brest. The third unit, the Seine, is based in Toulon. The fourth and final ship of the class, Garonne, has just been delivered. The vessels are named after major French rivers.

Loire-class vessels can conduct a wide range of support missions: They were designed to accommodate divers, to carry weapons and ammunition, to support submarines and surface ships, to tow underwater antennas, as well as to deploy a pollution control dam. They have a towing capacity of 80 tons of traction, a navigation speed of 14 knots and a significant endurance of about 30 days (without refueling). They are fitted with an 8 meters boat, several RHIBs and a crane for loading and unloading containers.

BASM main caracteritics

Length overall: 70.30 m
Breadth: 15.80 m
Draft: 5.00 m
Displacement: 2,960 tonnes 
Dead-weight: approx. 1000 T
Loading area on deck: 250 m²
Speed: 14 knots
Hull / superstructure: Steel
Amenities: 17 (crew) + 12 passengers
Engine: 2 x 2 650 kilowatts
Generators: 2 x 300 kWe

BSAM French Navy 2019-07-29
Tags BSAM French Navy
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Authors

Posted by : Xavier Vavasseur
Xavier is based in Paris, France. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). Xavier has been covering naval defense topics for nearly a decade.

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