Stealthy French Frigate Calls on Hodeidah [Archives:1999/09/Law & Diplomacy]

The French Frigate COURBET, its commander Captain Pierre-Franois Linares, and his 143 crew members, will call on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah on the 4th of March, 1999.

The frigate will be moored at Hodeidah from Thursday March 4th to Monday the 8th. Over the last several weeks, the ship has been calling on ports at the eastern shoreline of Africa, starting from South Africa. Its call on Yemen is a routine visit that serves to maintain the ongoing co-operation and friendly working relationship between Yemen and the French Navy.

The COURBET is a stealthy top class frigate with a very low acoustic and electronic signature, a modular design and a high automation level – all designed to meet the requirements of a combat ship capability and a peace-time low-cost surveillance vessel efficiently. Therefore, it can be part of a naval/air force group, and ensure the support of an intervention task force or the protection of commercial traffic, as well as execute special or humanitarian missions.
Several Yemeni officers from the Navy, Airforce and Army have been invited to go on board to inspect the highly modern ship, which weighs 3,600 tons, and is 125 meters long. According to a French embassy source, the frigate came into service two years ago – on March 24th, 1997.

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