The Government of Guyana has signed a letter of intent with French company OCEA S.A to procure an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) worth €39.5 million ($42 million USD). The new vessel will complement GDFS Berbice, a 35 metre OPV that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard bought from Louisiana-based Metal Shark boats for €10 million ($11 million USD) in 2021, in the revitalization of the countries fleet.
OCEA S.A told Naval News that the OPV will be a 58 metre OPV 190. The company, which specializes in the construction of aluminum hulled vessels, previously delivered an OPV 190 to Senegal in 2016. OCEA S.A has also supplied patrol boats and small OPVs to Guyana’s neighbor, Suriname. It is also constructing 20 patrol boats for Ukraine’s border guard.
GDFS Berbice was partially procured to replace the GDF Coast Guard’s ageing flagship, the River class minesweeper GDFS Essequibo, which was finally retired last year. The new vessel will likely complement Berbice in that effort.
In a statement announcing the signing, the Government of Guyana said that the procurement of the new vessel will help safeguard the “nation’s territorial integrity” and “deepen” its relationship with France, which announced that it will open an embassy in the South American country next year.
In recent months, Guyana has made headlines around the world due to it’s ongoing territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela. The long-running dispute, which relates to the Essequibo region which internationally recognized as part of Guyana, flared up late last year when Venezuela held “referendum” justifying it’s claim over the region and it’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which has plentiful supplies of undersea oil.
In October 2023, Venezuela began a military build-up adjacent to Guyana, something which hasn’t ceased since then despite an ongoing mediation process according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
