French builder floats out Montenegrin Navy's newest patrol vessel

French shipbuilder Kership launched Petar Njegoš I, the first of two OPV 60M offshore patrol vessels for the Montenegrin Navy, at its Lanester yard on September 11. The launch moves the ship from hull construction into outfitting, trials and delivery work; it is not yet an operational commissioning. Kership, a joint venture between Piriou and Naval Group, received the two-vessel contract in 2024 to modernize Montenegro's patrol fleet. The programme strengthens bilateral naval cooperation while giving the Adriatic NATO member new capacity for surveillance, sovereignty and maritime-security missions.