Tunisian Navy takes delivery of the fourth Istiklal-class patrol boat El Jem.

According to a picture released on the Twitter account of TN Forces, the Tunisian navy has taken delivery of its new local-made Istiklal-class patrol boat El Jem (P213) manufactured by the company Societe de Construction Industrielle et Navale (SCIN) in collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of Defense.
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The official ceremony for the delivery of the fourth Istiklal-class patrol boat El Jem P213 to Tunisian Navy.  (Picture source Twitter Tunisian Soldier)

The El Jem (P213) patrol boat was launched on April 21, 2021, during an official ceremony attended by the Tunisian defence minister Ibrahim Bartaji at the port of Sfax. A total of seven patrol ship have been ordered the Tunisian Ministry of Defense (MoD).

The El Jem (P213) is the fourth of the seven boats ordered by the Tunisian MoD. The ship is an Istiklal-class boat built in collaboration between the MoD and the Tunisian shipbuilding company SCIN. The first boat was launched in 2015 and the Tunisian Navy has already taken delivery of two boats, the P211 “Utique” and the P212 “Kerkouane”.

The Istiklal-class patrol boat has a lenght of 27.5 m, a beam of 5.8 m and a draft of 1.26 m. The ship is powered by two Rolls-Royce engines, each developing 3.200 hp. She can reach a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 600 nautical miles (1,110 km).

The Istiklal-class patrol boat has a crew of 18 sailors including three officers. She is armed with one 20mm automatic cannon and two 12.7mm heavy machine guns.