A patrol boat gifted to Cyprus by Oman is expected to arrive next week but the island doesn't have a naval base big enough to accommodate the 61-metre vessel, a report said Friday.
The boat - Cyprus's first open sea naval vessel - is unable to dock at the island's Evangelos Florakis naval base, the Phileleftheros newspaper reported. The 61.47 metre vessel, which has undergone a $4.3 million (4 million euro) refit courtesy of the sultanate, must dock at the ports of Limassol or Larnaca instead.
The 948 tonne patrol boat with a top speed of 15 knots is being crewed by Omani and Cypriot officers on its voyage to the island so that Omani sailors can give their Cypriot counterparts training.
It is the first open sea vessel to be added to the modest Cyprus navy. A second craft, purchased from Israel, is expected to arrive in December, the newspaper said.
They are expected to be used to patrol Cyprus's exclusive economic zone where energy giants like France's Total and Italy's Eni are exploring for natural gas and oil.
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