This means the vessel is now able to conduct operational missions.
Also known as metropolitan offshore support and assistance vessel (bâtiments de soutien et d’assistance métropolitains or BSAM), Garonne was ordered in 2016 for the French Navy, designed and built by the Kership shipyard in Brittany.
After the Rhône, the Loire and the Seine, the Garonne metropolitan support and assistance vessel (BSAM) enters active service today! Versatile and enduring, these boats have already proven their towing, coastal surveillance and pollution control capabilities.
Admiral Prazcuk, Chief of Staff of the French Navy
Garonne just completed its long cruise, a long duration deployment in the North Atlantic, to thoroughly check all systems onboard as well as train its crew.
About the Loire-class / BSAM
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 and Garonne is based in Brest.
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
