Photos of OCEA FPB98MKI boats in liveries of the Sea Guard of Ukraine appeared in social networks. User Andriy Goncharov photographed the ships near the quay wall and on the territory of the shipyard in the city of Les Sables d’Olonne (France).

It seems that patrol boats are fully equipped, the only thing missing is combat modules, which should be installed in Ukraine. These are usually 30 mm autocannon and heavy machine guns.

The contract for the construction of 20 patrol boats of the FPB 98 project was signed between the State Border Service of Ukraine and the OCEA shipbuilding company on July 22, 2020. The value of the agreement is €136.5 million, while the French side provided financial support for 85% of the total amount, with a deadline for repayment of loans no more than 10 years.

It was planned that 15 boats would be built in France and another 5 in Ukraine at the Mykolaiv Shipbuilding-Shiprepair Plant Nibulon. Currently, due to full-scale hostilities, the transfer of production to Ukraine is inappropriate.

The OCEA FPB98MKI boats have a speed of up to 35 knots (65 km/h) and are designed for surveillance operations, combating smuggling and illegal immigration, search and rescue operations, monitoring vessels at sea, etc. Boats of this project are used by the navies of Algeria, Benin, Nigeria, and Suriname. In total, as of 2020, OCEA had orders for 66 ships of this type.

OCEA FPB98MKI key specifications
Displacement – about 100 tons
Length – 31.8 m
Width – 6.3 m
Draft – 1.15 m
Speed - up to 35 knots (65 km /h)
Cruising endurance – 1,200 miles (2,200 km) at 12 knots
Fuel endurance – from 7 to 10 days
Crew – 14 people
Armament – 20 or 30-mm artillery mount, 1 or 2 12.7 mm machine guns