The Metropolitan Support and Assistance Ship (BSAM) GARONNE is the fourth in a program of four ships designed and built by KERSHIP. Ordered 2016, it was officially handed over by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) on 4 July.
An essential step in her admission to active service, GARONNE will shortly be carrying out her three-month Long Duration Deployment (LLD) before returning to her home port of Brest.
With regard to the previous BSAMs delivered, the LOIRE was the first vessel admitted to active service, followed by the RHONE. As for the SEINE, her DLD has just been completed. Her journey took her from Toulon to the African coast, then on to Brazil and French Guiana, including a 300-nautical trip up the Amazon. Her admission to active service is scheduled for this summer.
This BSAM program is being carried out under KERSHIP’s prime contractorship, which is responsible for steering the contract and industrial coordination. PIRIOU was responsible for the design, construction and testing of these vessels, which are highly versatile and have a range of thirty days.