The agreement was signed on July 22 in Mykolayiv with the participation of the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU) and OCEA (France) have inked a contract for the manufacture of 20 patrol boats under the Framework Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the French Republic on official support for strengthening maritime security and defense of Ukraine.

On behalf of the SBGSU, the contract was signed by the Head of the Service Serhii Deyneko, on behalf of OCEA - by the Chief Executive Officer Roland Joassard.

Commenting on the signing of the deal, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal named the agreement a successful example of support for the national producer.

"The key point is it’s not just buying something abroad. This is a strategic order, as five boats should be produced at the facilities of a Ukrainian shipbuilding company… As a result, we will get not only the workload for the company, which actually means work for hundreds of people but also experience and technology in manufacturing ships of this class," the Prime Minister emphasized.

The Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov noted the special conditions of financing the project, as the Treasury of the French Republic is involved in lending, thereby making it possible to supply 20 patrol boats for border guards in three years.

"As part of this project, apart from receiving new modern boats to protect the state border, Ukraine will also acquire modern technologies in building crafts. In the future, this will allow us to independently conduct technical maintenance of our ships at Ukrainian enterprises and develop our domestic production," stressed Arsen Avakov.