Feature 5 | Patrol vessels
Secure seas: patrol vessels offer
extended reach
With coastal states laying claim to larger areas of the oceans in order to gain
access to valuable natural resources, and territory, patrol vessels are being
recognised as one of the best solutions to police ever expanding maritime
borders. Harry T Reynolds reports.
T
hrough the United Nations
Convention of the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS), coastal states are
submitting proposals to the UN to expand
their influence over the world’s oceans.
Existing sovereignty laws give states
authority over their Exclusive Economic
Zones (EEZs) – coastal waters out to 200nm
from the shoreline – and the sole rights to
the natural resources that lie within that
area. But under Article 76 of UNCLOS,
governments can submit scientific
information to the UN Commission on the
Limits of the Continental Shelf to support
a claim to extend this authority over the
continental shelf out to a maximum of
350nm. The UN defines the continental
shelf of a coastal state as comprising ‘the
seabed and subsoil of the submarine
areas that extend beyond its territorial sea the third Bvl for venezuela, Naiguata, launched at Navantia on 29 June 2009. the fourth
throughout the natural prolongation of vessel will be built in venezuela (Credit: Navantia).
its land territory to the outer edge of the
continental margin’.
The sea bed contains valuable natural lightly armed but are helicopter-capable not have to look overseas to European,
resources and this has initiated a race by to offer an improved surveillance and American or Chinese or Russian yards
governments to submit evidence to the interception capability. These types of ships for their ships. Governments that intend
Commission and secure a larger maritime also carry small fast interceptor craft or to develop their own naval shipbuilding
boundary. Expanding the state’s authority rigid-inflatable boats (RIBs) for boarding capacity are able to take an initial step
over such an extensive area of the ocean and search operations. This allows a toward this goal through the domestic
presents significant problems for maritime coastal state to maintain a naval presence construction of smaller patrol ships and
security. These areas need to be policed across a wide area of ocean without the an increasing number of hulls are being
and new naval vessels are required to need to spend money on fewer expensive built in this way by government-owned
exert the government’s authority over its and heavily armed vessels designed for yards. However, many countries that
new resources. This has brought about warfighting – more sensors and weapons cannot afford to build an indigenous
an increase in the number of patrol ships systems equals higher costs. naval shipyard are still able to buy their
being built on top of the usual numbers The smaller size of the patrol ships patrol ships from a variety of companies
needed for the replacement of older and relative simplicity of the designs worldwide in a highly competitive
vessels. Governments are slowly coming and onboard systems compared to other market. It is becoming more frequent
to understand the importance of maritime warships like frigates, destroyers or that a government will buy a design from
security and the economic benefits offered corvettes mean that these types of vessels an overseas naval shipbuilder or for an
by the extraction of resources from can be built by shipyards in-country, even agreement to be made for the initial ships
under the sea. Patrol vessels offer the best if they have little experience in building to be built overseas – with the remainder
solution to providing a naval presence over warships. Therefore states without a completed domestically by the contracting
an enlarged area of sea. They are usually domestic naval shipbuilding industry do government at its own yard.
44 Ship & Boat International March/April 2010
SBI_MarApr10_p44-45-46-47-48.indd 44 26/02/2010 12:24:58
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