La Flèche (P32)
La Flèche (P32) is a 30-metre (98 ft) patrol vessel owned and operated by the Seychelles Coast Guard.[1][2] La Flèche was donated to Seychelles by the United Arab Emirates, with a sister ship, on April 1, 2011.[3]
Although the Seychelles are a small country, it is located off the Horn of Africa, strategically close to the operation of active pirates.[4][5] Other Indian Ocean nations see their donations of patrol vessels to Seychelles as a strategic investment in fighting piracy.
Through the Seychelles Coast Guard's employment of La Flèche, and other ships in her small fleet, Seychelles has been able to arrest, try and convict many pirates.[4] In 2013 the UAE paper The National reported that Seychelles was then imprisoning more than 100 convicted pirates.
References
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John Lablache, Sharon Uranie (2014-11-07). "India gifts second patrol ship to Seychelles – 'PS Constant' has the youngest Seychellois commanding officer". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
Apart from Etoile and Constant there are four other patrol vessels in the Seychelles Coast Guard's fleet; Topaz, Andromache (built in Italy in 1982 and funded by the Seychelles government) and La Flèche and Le Vigilant (both gifted by the UAE in 2011). - See more at:
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"A milestone in our relations"- Indian Navy hands over patrol ship to Seychelles Coast Guard". Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
Seychelles now has 6 patrol ships: Topaz, Constant, Andromache, Etoile, La Flèche and Le Vigilant.
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"UAE hands over 5 Coast Guard vessels". Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
Two of these patrol boats are 30 metres long and can carry around 15 people each. The first has been named La Flèche and the second is Le Vigilant.
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Ramola Talwar Badam (2013-03-11). "UAE a vital ally in piracy war". Dubai: The National. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
Over the past few years, the UAE has provided the Seychelles with a coast guard headquarters, radar stations, patrol boats and surveillance aircraft. There are now about 100 Somali pirates facing jail terms in the Seychelles and helping provide information about piracy gangs.
- ^ "UAE donates patrol vessels to Seychelles". Workboat World. 2011-01-10. Archived from the original on 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
"The UAE pledged the donation of five maritime patrol vessels in July last year... We are deeply grateful for this gesture and we note its importance as our fight against piracy is an immediate concern, which requires swift action and concrete support from the international community," said Seychellois President Michel.