PARIS/MOSCOW , May 28 (RIA Novosti) – The French navy frigate Surcouf entered the Black Sea on Wednesday, a military diplomatic source told RIA Novosti.
“The French navy frigate Surcouf crossed the Sea of Marmara in the morning and the Bosphorus Strait in the evening and entered the Black Sea waters,” the source said.
The Surcouf is now the third NATO ship currently in the Black Sea. Earlier this month, another French warship, the Dupuy de Lome and the American guided missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf arrived in the sea.
Surcouf is a La Fayette-class frigate with a displacement of 3,600 tons and a maximum speed of 25 knots.
The class was designed for patrolling, ensuring safety of navigation and participating in crisis management outside Europe. During engineering, great attention was paid to their low radar signature.
Following Crimea’s reunification with Russia, NATO has been systematically stepping up its presence near the Russian borders, citing the need to protect its allies. The alliance has dispatched several warships to the Black Sea. In recent weeks, the USS Truxton, Cook, and Taylor visited the region.
