French Navy patrol vessel POM Auguste Benebig arrived in New Caledonia.

According to a tweet published by the French MoD on April 3, 2023, the POM patrol vessel Auguste Bénébig arrived at its home port, Nouméa, New Caledonia.
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French POM patrol vessel Auguste Benebig. (Picture source: French Navy)

POM

The Patrouilleur Outre-mer is built by Socarenam and operated by the Marine Nationale. It is the successor to the P400-class patrol vessel and is expected to enter service in 2023.

It appears that six Patrouilleur Outre-mer vessels are planned, with five currently under construction and one completed. These vessels are likely to be used for maritime surveillance and patrol missions in French overseas territories and other areas where French maritime interests are at stake.

The POM patrol vessels have a displacement of 1,300 tonnes and are 80 meters long, 11.8 meters wide, and have a draught of 3.5 meters. They are equipped with a Nexter Narwhal 20 mm teleoperated gun and four machine guns for armament. Additionally, they can carry two 8-meter RHIBs and an Airbus Aliaca UAS for aerial surveillance.

The vessel has a capacity of 29 passengers and a crew complement of 30. It is capable of a maximum speed of 24 knots and has a range of 5,500 nautical miles, which is quite impressive.

French presence in the Indo-Pacific

France maintains a permanent military presence in the Indo-Pacific, divided into five higher commands covering the entire region. In the South Pacific, the armed forces of New Caledonia (FANC) and the armed forces in French Polynesia (FAPF) enable France to ensure the security of its territories, EEZ, and sovereign airspace.

The permanent device is punctually reinforced by the deployment of ships and aircraft from the mainland. Following the deployment of the aeronaval group in 2019, the Marianne mission (deployment of the nuclear attack submarine L'Émeraude and the support ship La Seine in 2021) demonstrated the country's ability to deploy strategic assets far from the mainland and for long periods, despite the difficulties imposed by the health crisis. 

These deployments are opportunities for interactions with France's main partners, particularly India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, with whom it maintains high-level defense cooperation in all areas.