The agreement was signed online by Bohdan Muzyka, the director of NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard, and Gonzague Delannoy, OCEA’s purchasing department manager. Oleksiy Vadaturskyy, NIBULON’s General Director, Andriy Vadaturskyy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, the management of the Regional Directorate of Sea Guard of the State Border Service of Ukraine and representatives from Bureau Veritas Certification Ukraine, an independent certification body, attended the signing ceremony. The French party was introduced by Roland Joassard, OCEA’s Chief Executive Officer, Philippe Neri, OCEA’s director of maritime safety and security, and other representatives. The signing of this important strategic agreement was testified by Serhiy Goncharov, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. “This step opens new opportunities for NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard. I congratulate our shipbuilders and wish them success in implementing this large-scale project, which is important for Ukraine”, says Oleksiy Vadaturskyy. This event has become a logical continuation of cooperation between countries and companies and, without doubt, a prerequisite to build 5 boats at NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard in Ukraine. As part of the government project, the Ukrainian-French party will build 20 fast patrol boats.“It is an important event Ukraine has been headed for almost 3 years. It all began with an intergovernmental framework agreement between Ukraine and France in Paris (2019), the ratification of an intergovernmental agreement in 2020, an agreement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Border Service with OCEA in 2020, a memorandum between NIBULON and OCEA, as well as numerous diplomatic negotiations. We are now signing the agreement to build fast patrol boats at Ukrainian shipyard”, mentions Oleksiy Vadaturskyy. The first boat will have been launched by French OCEA by the end of this year. NIBULON shipyard will start to build vessels at the beginning of 2022. Please note that OCEA chose NIBULON as the only contractor with the required experience and technologies to build boats in Ukraine. This choice was made considering that the shipyard has modern capacities and highly qualified team.– Having visited several shipyards in Ukraine, we chose NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard. Thus, we are sure that highly qualified employees work here. It is an important contract. We are waiting for NIBULON’s team at OCEA. The construction will be soon started in Ukraine. Today NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard, a separate judicial division, is the most modern in Ukraine. The shipyard successfully implements its production and ship repair programs, as well as constantly masters leading technologies and innovations. As a result of this project, the shipyard will master modern technologies to work with aluminum alloy, thereby expanding a range of vessels. While building complete steel vessels, the shipyard will build aluminum vessels used for various operations, in particular special vessels to increase the export potential of Ukraine’s shipbuilding sector and to make advances to develop its positions on the domestic and international markets of small and medium-tonnage shipbuilding and ship repair.