Piriou press release
The contract, signed in November 2019, covered the acquisition of three offshore patrol vessels. After the WALO, delivered last June, and while the CAYOR is being fitted out in Concarneau, the NIANI is now flying the Senegalese flag.
The handover ceremony was an opportunity for Vincent Faujour to warmly thank the new Minister of the Armed Forces, Mr Oumar Youm, for having done him the honour of choosing Concarneau for his first official visit to France. “You have played a major role in this partnership, which bears witness to the long-standing military cooperation between our two nations,” he said, pointing out that he and Admiral Wade had been involved in the project from the outset. He also welcomed the presence of Fodé Sylla, Senegal’s ambassador-at-large, former Member of the European Parliament, and former President of SOS Racisme, as well as the presence of Admiral Cyril Palfray Aubin de Jaurias, Commander of the Brest-Lorient defence base, and Lysiane Métayer, Member of the National Defence and Armed Forces Committee of The French National Assembly.
Expressing his gratitude for their confidence, the President of the PIRIOU Group said that “the Senegal program has strengthened PIRIOU’s position as a major player in the construction of armed vessels, opening up new perspectives both for the Group and for Kership, the industrial prime contractor for the program.”
The President of PIRIOU was also keen to pay tribute to the commitment of the teams working to ensure that this program runs as efficiently as possible. The NIANI will join, ahead of schedule, the first of the series, the WALO, celebrated in Dakar last August in the presence of His Excellency President Maky Sall. Measuring the responsibility placed on the Senegalese Navy, he reaffirmed: “We are fully aware of the imperative need to guarantee the highest level of quality and availability of your ships. We are working on this, here in Concarneau, but also in Dakar.”
“The acquisition of three offshore patrol vessels is an excellent demonstration of the significant investments made by the State of Senegal, at the initiative of His Excellency Mr Macky SALL, President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The WALO has made a definite added value in the field of maritime surveillance in depth and the acquisition of information of maritime interest. {It} has participated steadily in maritime border surveillance operations, the protection of offshore oil and gas installations, fisheries surveillance and, above all, the fight against illegal emigration. The entry into service of the NIANI will undoubtedly help to strengthen the permanent security posture of the naval forces, of which the 58 S OPVs are the backbone.”
Mr Omar Youm, Minister of the Armed Forces of Senegal
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OPV 58 S main specifications
- Length: 62.20 meters
- Width: 9.50 meters
- Draft: 2.90 meters
- Speed: 21 knots
- Range / Endurance: 25 days, 4,500 nautical miles @ 12 knots
- Hull / Structure: Steel / Aluminum
- Accommodations: 48 (24 crew + 24 mission personnel)
- Stern ramp for two RHIBs
The OPV 58 S will be fitted with missile systems, a first for both the Senegalese Navy and the Piriou shipyard. The weapons suite of the OPV 58 S appears to consist of:
- A 76mm main gun by Leonardo
- 4x Marte MK2/N anti-ship missiles placed forward
- 2x 12.7mm manned manchine guns on the bridge wings
- 2x 20mm remote weapon stations (Narwhal by Nexter) at the back of the bridge
- A SIMBAD-RC surface to air system by MBDA
- POLARIS combat management system
The rise of Senegal’s Naval Forces
Faced with an ever growing piracy threat in the Gulf of Guinea, Senegal (like other countries in the area such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana or Nigeria) is pursuing efforts to boost its naval capabilities. In addition to these three OPVs, Senegal is also procuring Shaldag MK II Fast Patrol Craft from Israel.
Other modern units include a large OPV procured from French shipyard OCEA, the Fouladou, commissioned in 2016 and two smaller patrol vessels (by Raidco Marine) procured in 2015 and 2013. Senegal is also procuring Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The OPV 58 S produced by Piriou are fitted with missile systems which is a new capability for this rising navy.
The modern naval vessels recently procured from France and Israel will help the Senegalese Navy in securing the sea lanes and maritime approaches in Senegal’s littoral and exclusive economic zones. They are the right assets to counter piracy and illegal fishing and conduct maritime security missions in the Gulf of Guinea.
