NavyRecognition has information on a new class of vessels the French Navy is building,
“…According to the French Procurement Agency (DGA), these vessels:
– have the ability to project 20 personnel (joint, police or gendarmerie) with two 4×4 vehicles along with their weapons and ammunition.
– will ensure the evacuation of citizens and have the ability to deploy and support divers and equipment (including drones) to conduct underwater interventions.
– Under the state action at sea, they will provide fisheries police missions, and contribute to the fight against illegal immigration, drug trafficking and piracy.”
– They will assist ships in distress and participate in safeguarding people and property, through their firefighting means and towing capacity of up to 30 tons
They are planning three with an option for a forth. The French have the second largest EEZ in the World, only slightly smaller than that of the US, and in many places it is based around small isolated islands.
These vessels, which appear to be based on Offshore Petroleum Industry Support ship designs, will likely replace existing fishery protection vessels that are themselves former trawlers and hydrographic survey ships. They will also likely be tasked with a variety of Coast Guard like missions including disaster response.
I asked the NavyRecognition correspondent for some clarification, the answer of course is unofficial,
Q: “will the B2M be used exclusively in Europe, or around the overseas territories?”
A: “Chuck, the B2M ships will be deployed overseas (my guess is French Antilles, Reunion Island and Tahiti)”
That certainly makes sense. In Europe these ships would probably be considered to small to be good cargo ships and too slow to be good patrol ships, but in these island communities their capabilities will be very significant.
There is a good chance the Coast Guard may work with one of them in the Antilles. Cooperation in the Western Pacific is also possible.
They are to replace these wonderful beasts,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BATRAL-class_landing_ship
Unfortunately IMHO they will lose this capability,
They were normally paired up with a frigate in the French Overseas Departments.
The B2Ms do look like a step down in capability.