Merre launches fourth diving support boat for French Navy

October 13, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

France’s Merre Shipyard has launched Yucca, the fourth diving support boat (Navire de Soutien à la Plongée – NSP) in a series of eight ordered by the French defense procurement agency (DGA).

The launch took place at the shipyard’s Brest facility on October 10, 2025. Destined for the Brest Naval Base under the Atlantic Port Defence Group (GPD Atlantique), Yucca will soon begin its industrial trials phase before being delivered to the French Navy in early 2026.

Designed by NEUMAN and industrialized by Merre, the vessel was built across the company’s sites in Nort-sur-Erdre and Brest.

The eight vessels—commonly referred to as the Ophrys-class—are procured to replace older diving support boats used by the navy.

These vessels are part of the broader modernisation of French mine warfare capabilities under the SLAM-F (Système de Lutte Anti-Mines Futur) framework. The Ophrys-class dive support tenders will support clearance divers, underwater work, and mine countermeasure operations in shallow waters.

The launch also marks the midpoint in the series of eight diving support vessels, which are expected to enhance the navy’s operational capabilities for underwater and mine-clearance missions.