A heavy lift cargo ship is pictured transiting northbound through the Bosphorus Strait loaded with two FPB 98 MKI patrol boats at 1400 h GMT on 13 August. (Yoruk Isik)
French shipbuilder OCEA has despatched a second batch of two FPB 98 MKI patrol boats destined for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Imagery captured by a Turkish independent ship spotter showed a merchant cargo ship transiting northbound through the Bosphorus Strait loaded with two FPB 98 MKI patrol boats at 1400 h GMT on 13 August.
The ships form part of a contract for the construction and delivery of 20 FPB 98 MKI patrol boats awarded to OCEA by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in July 2020. The contract follows an initial government-to-government agreement between France and Ukraine signed in November 2019 for the 20 FPB 98s.
The first batch of two were pictured transiting the Bosphorus Strait onboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant cargo ship M/V Gaja on 23 May, arriving later the same day for unloading at the Port of Constanţa in Romania.
Similar to the first batch, the second two patrol boats are unarmed and all identifiable markings indicating that the boats belong to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine are covered.
The FPB 98 MKI patrol boat has a full load displacement of about 118 tonnes, an overall length of 32 m, and a beam of 8.3 m. It can carry a crew complement of 11 in addition to six embarked personnel. It has a top speed of more than 30 kt and a range of 900 n mile at 14 kt.
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