M/V Ocean Grand passes through the Bosphorus en route to Odessa with the delivery of two ex-USCG Island-class patrol boats, Sumy (ex- Ocracoke ) and Fastiv (ex- Washington ), on board. (Devrim Yaylalı)
Two decommissioned US Coast Guard (USCG) Island-class patrol boats, destined for the Ukrainian Navy, arrived in Odessa onboard the US-flagged cargo ship M/V Ocean Grand on 23 November.
The two vessels, renamed Sumy (ex-Ocracoke) and Fastiv (ex-Washington), were gifted to Ukraine under Washington's Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme. They will be used for maritime security operations in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. In preparation to operate the vessels, their Ukrainian crew completed a six-week training course provided by the USCG.
A total of five Island-class patrol boats are being supplied to Ukraine under the EDA. The first pair, Slavyansk (ex-Drummond) and Starobilsk (ex- Cushing), were commissioned into Ukrainian Navy in 2019.
The Island-class patrol boats have an overall length of 33.5 m and a 6.4 m beam. They have a fully loaded displacement of 171 tonnes, and a range of 3,928 n miles at a cruising speed of 10 kt.
The vessels form part of a security assistance programme worth more than USD2.5 million dollars that the US has provided to Ukraine since 2014.
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