MAURIC will work with Couach on the VGMAR programme, following the company’s selection for the French Customs’ 35-metre VGC programme in late 2025.
On 29 June 2026, the Direction Générale de l’Armement notified Couach of the contract for 24 coastal surveillance patrol vessels of 22 metres for the Maritime Gendarmerie. Delivery of the first unit is expected in 2029.
MAURIC was responsible for the naval architecture, drawing on its experience in patrol vessel design and previous government procurement programmes. The design is based on hull forms developed for earlier semi-fast patrol vessel projects.
Couach will build the vessels at its composite shipbuilding facility in France, using its existing production capabilities for professional craft. According to the companies, the combination of MAURIC’s design expertise and Couach’s composite construction capabilities formed the basis of the successful bid selected by the French procurement agency (DGA).
MAURIC will leverage its expertise in semi-planing hull form design to optimise the VGMAR at their maximum speed of 22 knots as well as at intermediate transit speeds, reducing fuel consumption without sacrificing the seakeeping qualities essential for patrol missions in the best conditions of safety and crew comfort.
The vessels will displace a maximum of 50 tonnes and accommodate up to 10 persons, crew included. They will be fitted with a rapid intervention craft deployed from a stern well deck. Designed for versatile operations, the vessels will conduct maritime policing, counter-illicit trafficking, environmental protection, and search and rescue missions.
The contract begins with a firm tranche of four vessels and will subsequently be completed through successive batches. Five of the 24 vessels are destined for overseas deployment in French Guiana, Mayotte and New Caledonia.
This second collaboration with Couach, following the VGC 35-metre customs vessel programme, confirms the strength of a partnership built on complementary capabilities and a shared commitment to delivering high-performance patrol vessels to French state authorities. The VGMAR programme, which provides for the delivery of up to four vessels per year over a six-year period, will constitute the largest renewal of the Maritime Gendarmerie coastal fleet in over two decades.
