New patrol boats of the Ukrainian Naval Forces have raised naval flags that were donated to our country by Estonia.
The press center of the national fleet reported that the boats were named «Irpin» and «Reni,» in honor of the hero city in Kyiv region and the port in Odessa region closest to the Baltic state. They were originally known as P01 Roland and P02 Risto in Estonia.
The flag-raising ceremony was attended by the commander of the Ukrainian Navy Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa and a delegation from Estonia led by the commander of the Estonian Navy Commodore Juri Saska. It is worth noting that the participants also honored the memory of the fallen military and civilians who were victims of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, and lit memorial candles.
The «Irpin» and «Reni» boats will perform various tasks, including the protection of civilian navigation. They belong to the Patrol 18 WP class, manufactured by the Estonian company Baltic Workboats AS, which has previously supplied high-speed boats to the Ukrainian Maritime Search and Rescue Service.
The boats are equipped with a 12.7 mm caliber heavy machine gun with remote control, located at the front of the deck, as well as two 7.62 mm caliber machine guns at the stern. They have a maximum speed of 33 knots (61 km/h) and can accommodate up to six commandos.
