02/05/2020 - 18:47
- Clarín.com
- Society
The Maritime Naval Patrol Capacity Recovery Project of the Argentine Navy added the ocean patrol boat "Hipólito Bouchard" on Wednesday. It is the first incorporation of a total of four similar vessels purchased from the French company Naval Group.
The boat arrived in the afternoon at the northern dock of the port of the city of Buenos Aires, in a ceremony headed by the Minister of Defense, Agustín Rossi.
The purchase of the ships has the objective of improving maritime surveillance and control with surface naval means in the oceanic area of interest, whose length is 1,159,063 square kilometers in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Argentina.
The ship has a length of 87 meters, 13.6 meters of beam, 3.8 meters of draft, reaches a displacement of 1,650 tons and is designed for a basic crew of 40 people and an additional capacity to embark 19 people.
The characteristics of the ship. Photo: Argentine Navy.
Its autonomy is 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 kilometers) sailing at 12 knots and can reach a maximum speed of 21 knots (approximately 39 kilometers per hour).
The ship sailed from the Naval Base of Toulon, in the south of France, on January 17 last heading to Buenos Aires, previous stopover for logistic refueling in the port of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Argentine naval personnel attended in France a Training and Operation Program for the equipment of the unit in charge of teachers of the Naval Group University, which allowed the crew to operate and perform the basic maintenance of the ship.
Likewise, the crew previously enlisted and trained in Argentina in the navigation and maneuver simulator of the Center for Navigation and Maritime Training (CIEMF) before leaving for France.
The training in France included the presence of instructors of all the components of the unit and, once the theoretical courses were completed, they practiced on board both in port and in navigation.
The Navy's chief, Admiral José Luis Villán, also participated in the reception ceremony of the ocean patrolman; members of the National Congress Defense Commissions, civil and military authorities and special guests.
Source: Télam