France's Merré Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build eight diving tenders for the French Navy, the country's Ministry of Armed Forces confirmed on Wednesday, January 15.
Each vessel will have all-aluminium construction, an LOA of 26.5 metres, a beam of seven metres, a displacement of 87 tonnes, a maximum speed of 13 knots, and three 7.62-millimetre machine guns. Onboard facilities will include a hyperbaric chamber and a launch and recovery system for one rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) or one unmanned boat.
The first six vessels will also have provisions for mine countermeasures (MCM) equipment.
Delivery of all eight dive tenders is expected by 2025.