A Belgium Navy coastal patrol vessel (CPV) which has very similar dimensions to the former New Zealand patrol cutters purchased for use by the Naval Service is visiting Dublin Port, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The CPV is the BNS Castor (P901), which arrived in the capital yesterday, having departed Zeebrugge and beforehand from another former ferry port, Ostende, located close to the border with France. This is where the four shipyard group, Société Calaisienne de Réparation Navale et Mécanique (SOCARENAM) delivered the leadship, the Castor-class CPV, in 2014, along with the second of the series, Pollux (P902), in 2015.
Almost a decade later, the Belgium government announced this week on the margin of the Euronaval show in Paris for a third newbuild of the Castor class. As their Ministry of Defence returned to the same shipyard group for the procurement, construction, and delivery of the CPV within the first half of 2027. The additional CPV is to enhance naval maritime security and surveillance operations in the strategic North Sea.
The BNS Castor has a length overall (LOA) of 53.50m which is similar to that of the Lake class pair, each of 55.00m LOA, that served the Royal New Zealand Navy. They have a 9.5m beam almost identical to 9.0m of the former RNZN cutters that became the Navy Service’s P70 class and were renamed L.É. Aoibhinn (P71) and L.É. Gobnait (P72), respectively. They bring more modern technology capability to assist in improving the protection of maritime infrastructure.
BNS Castor, along with BNS Pollux, built at SOCARENAM's shipyard in Boulogne-sur-Mer, are armed with a 12.7 mm remote weapon station and the pair primarily patrol Belgium's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the North Sea.
In terms of crewing, 15 are involved, whereas 20 personnel are required for each of Naval Service P70’s that are designated as Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPV) operating on post-Brexit fishery duties and other roles tasked on the Irish Sea, the east and south-east coasts.
The Castor class has a speed of 21 knots, whereas their Irish counterparts can reach up to 25 knots. Both the classes, however, have the same twin-RHIB craft capability at their disposal for vessel boarding party inspections. As for displacement, the Castor is 455 tons which is larger to the 344 ton P70 cutters.
Appearance-wise, the 'Castors' superstructure is smaller and notably differs in that they have a 360 degree all-round, unobstructed view from the bridge with atop a lattice like mainmast. Whereas, the P70 class, having observed in Dun Laoghaire Harbour features a funnel aft of the wheelhouse which is integrated with the mainmast.
The BNS Castor’s visit to Dublin, at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, continues into the weekend with a departure on Monday. This courtesy call follows another NATO member naval visitor in the form of the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Cattistock (M31), a Hunt-class mine-countermeasures vessel which last month had instead berthed downriver. Likewise the call took place across five days.
During this week, L.É. Aoibhinn called to Dun Laoghaire in between patrols, as the south Dublin Bay port has of recent months been increasingly used. As such, the Naval Service is considering its formal use as a Forward Operating Base (FOB) located at the Carlisle Pier.
