French Navy’s D’Estienne d’Orves-class aviso, FS Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet was returning home from the port of Piraeus when the ship’s Captain decided to transit the Corinth Canal in order to avoid a 400 kilometer detour around the Peloponnese.
The ship had spent a month searching for EgyptAir plane crash debris and later integrating into NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2.
With a length of 6343 meters, the canal is relatively short compared to other, similar undertakings. What makes Corinth special is its narrowness and the height of the walls which reach up to 90 meters above sea level.
The Canal’s width never exceeds 21 meters making it unusable for larger vessels. Ships pass through the canal on a one-way system while larger ones, like the Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet, have to be towed by tugs.
Also known as A69 type aviso, the FS Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet is a small warship designed for anti-submarine defense, and used for high sea escort missions. The ship was laid down on July 8, 1980 and entered service in October 23, 1982.