Next-Gen French OPV with Wind-Assisted Propulsion Starts Taking Shape
(Credit: MAURIC)
(Credit: MAURIC)
The next generation offshore patrol vessel (OPV), featuring hybrid propulsion and wind sails, has started taking shape as the first steel is cut for the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA) vessel, designed by the SOCARENAM-MAURIC consortium.
On September 18, 2025, the steel cutting ceremony was held for the New Generation Maritime Affairs Patrol Vessel (PAM) with wind-assisted propulsion.
The transition from the design to construction phase follows the tender win by the SOCARENAM-MAURIC consortium in December 2024, and the official announcement in January 2025, with the task to deliver the next-generation OPV.
MAURIC's team of naval architects and marine engineers completed the detailed arrangement study of the vessel, including an optimization loop for optimal sail positioning.
This phase also enabled the finalization of active and passive stabilization systems development, through seakeeping calculations carried out to optimize the anti-roll tank with free surface effects and active fin stabilizers.
The design phase has established the assembly sequence in eight modular blocks. The start of the first steel cutting marks the concrete beginning of fabrication, thereby maintaining the construction schedule for delivery planned in the second half of 2027, according to MAURIC.
The 53.7-meter long OPV is designed for extended 12-day missions with a crew of 20. It will be equipped with two launch and recovery systems for 6.5-m fast semi-rigid inflatable boats capable to intercept at a speed up to 35 knots.
The vessel’s propulsion configuration allows a maximum speed of 17 knots and a range exceeding 3,600 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 kts.
Construction is being carried out at SOCARENAM's shipyard in Boulogne-Sur-Mer.
