Image source: topwar.ru
France has finally decided to send FPB 98 MKI patrol boats to Ukraine, intended for the Coast Guard of the Ukrainian State Border Service. The first two boats have already left the territory of France and started moving towards Ukraine, but not independently, but on board a cargo ship.
According to the publications of the French press, on May 10, two boats with the side numbers BG-202 and BG-203 were loaded on board a cargo ship named Gaya, on May 16 it arrived in Malta, on May 19 the ship is to dock in the Greek port of Alexandropolis. There is no further information on the route of the Gaya vessel. Ukrainian resources suggest that the boats will make the further way overland through Bulgaria and Romania to Odessa, since Turkey will not let a ship with boats through the Black Sea Straits. Although it is possible that Gaya will freely pass through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, since there are no weapons on the boats.
In general, nothing is clear yet. It is also interesting why the French are transferring only two boats to Ukraine, although they have already produced six under the 2019 contract for the construction of 20 boats. Earlier in Kiev, it was feared that ready-made boats would go to Nigeria instead of Ukraine, since this African country signed a contract with OSEA for the construction of similar patrol boats at the end of 2022, and the French have already announced their readiness to transfer ready-made boats to them.
FPB 98 MKI is a patrol boat made of lightweight aluminum with a length of 32 meters, which can reach speeds of up to 30 knots with a cruising range of 1200 nautical miles. Armament: 30 mm DS30B artillery mount. The crew is 14 people. The boat has a shallow draft for swimming in shallow water. Ukraine intends to use these boats to protect the state border and counteract sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy, it is possible that they are planning to be transferred to the Dnieper.