Paramount Launches New Gulf Of Guinea Patrol Vessel

A new high-speed, multipurpose naval vessel Tuguemi has been christened in Hamlet Quay in Elliot Basin, Cape Town, South Africa, builder Paramount Maritime announced. 

The 35m Sentinel vessel is optimized for coastal patrols and cargo transfer duties, among a myriad of other mission assignments that the multipurpose vessel can perform. It will be deployed in the greater Gulf of Guinea region, a recognized hotspot in 2022 for oil and gas piracy, bunkering and kidnapping activities, often undertaken by armed militant cabals.

The state-of-the-art 35m Sentinel is an aluminum-hulled maritime platform with a V-bottom hull shape. Sporting a length of 35 meters, a beam of 7.5 meters and draft of 2 meters, the Sentinel comfortably hosts up to 6 cabins for both crew and security personnel.

For mission survivability and personnel security, the Sentinel’s wheelhouse and main deck accommodation structure is fitted with composite ballistic armor while gun mounts and ballistic shields are fitted to offer robust coverage around the vessel. The vessel design offers STANAG Level II wheelhouse protection and STANAG Level I deckhouse ballistic protections. Powered by three Caterpillar C32 main engines developing 1,193 kW each and three propellers allows for a range at economical speed of 1,300 nautical miles (NM).

The Sentinel’s 11x6 meter cargo deck can accommodate 20 tons of cargo or a 20-foot shipping container. A 6.5 meter semi-rigid boat can also be launched via a davit.