Vedette côtière de surveillance maritime

The Vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime (VCSM, "coastal boats for sea surveillance") are swift craft of the French Gendarmerie maritime. 24 boats of the type have been commissioned. They are based in various harbours of France, and are used for coast guard duties ranging from rescue to military tasks, including monitoring of pollution, sea police, and interception of illegal immigrants and drug traffickers.

Patrol boat Huveaune in the old harbour of Marseille.
Class overview
Name	Vedette côtière de surveillance maritime
Operators	France (Gendarmerie maritime) Senegal (customs) Moroccan Navy South African Police Service
Subclasses	RPB 20 for export
In commission	11 June 2003
Completed	30
Laid up	1[1]
Lost	2 (reportedly destroyed in Mayotte by Cyclone Chido in December 2024)
General characteristics
Type	Swift boat
Displacement	31 to 41 t (31 to 40 long tons)
Length	20 m (65 ft 7 in)
Beam	5.29 m (17 ft 4 in)
Draught	2.89 m (9 ft 6 in)
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range	500 nmi (930 km; 580 mi)
Endurance	4 days
Complement	8
Sensors and processing systems	Radar
Armament	Light infantry weapons, FM AANF1

The VCSM carry a custom-designed rigid-hull tender in a well deck. This deck can be converted into a helicopter airlift zone.

The boats do not carry heavy armament, but light machine guns can be installed when needed. In addition, infantry small arms are carried by the crew.

Ships in Gendarmerie maritime service

The ships in Gendarmerie maritime service are named for rivers of the harbours in which they were initially based.

These ships include:

• P601 Élorn (Concarneau)^[2]
• P602 Verdon (deployed in Mayotte as of early 2023; reportedly damaged "beyond repair" by Cyclone Chido in December 2024)^[3][4]
• P603 Adour (Anglet)^[5]
• P604 Scarpe (Boulogne-sur-Mer)^[5]
• P605 Vertonne (Sables d'Olonne)^[5]
• P606 Dumbea (Nouméa)^[5]
• P607 Yser (Dieppe)^[5]
• P608 Argens (Saint Raphaël)^[5]
• P609 Hérault (Sète)^[5]
• P610 Gravona (Ajaccio)^[5]
• P611 Odet (Mayotte;^[5] reportedly damaged "beyond repair" by Cyclone Chido in December 2024)^[6]
• P612 Maury (Gruissan)^[5]
• P613 Charente (Rochefort, transferred to Cayenne in 2022 replacing Mahury)^[1]
• P614 Tech (Port Vendres)^[5]
• P615 Penfeld (Brest)^[5]
• P616 Trieux (Saint Malo)^[5]
• P617 Vésubie (Nice)^[5]
• P618 Escaut (Dunkerque)^[5]
• P619 Huveaune (Marseille)^[5]
• P620 Sèvre (Pornichet)^[5]
• P621 Aber-Wrach (Brest)^[5]
• P622 Esteron (Le Havre)^[5]
• P623 Mahury (Cayenne, unserviceable as of 2022)^[1]
• P624 Organabo (Kourou)^[5]

Citations

1. Groizeleau, Vincent (5 December 2022). "Le Marfret Niolon emmène une vedette de la Gendarmerie maritime en Guyane". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 6 December 2022.
2. "Deux plaisanciers secourus au large de Concarneau". france3 (in French). 24 April 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
3. Groizeleau, Vincent (6 February 2025). "Mayotte : la Gendarmerie maritime doit remplacer ses vedettes, coulées par le cyclone Chido". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2025.
4. "Marine Nationale Dossier d'Information, pp. 19 and 23" (PDF). Cols Bleus (in French). January 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
5. "Les vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime (VCSM)". netmarine (in French). 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
6. Groizeleau, Vincent (18 December 2024). "Mayotte : une vedette de la Gendarmerie maritime et le remorqueur de la marine jetés à la côte". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 18 December 2024.

External links

• (in French) Les vedettes côtières de surveillance maritime (VCSM), netmarine.net
• Also sold to Senegal (Sangomar & Djiferre) and Mauritania (Megsem Bakkar & Oum Tounsi).