French Navy Ship ‘Bougainville’ makes port call into Apia from Saturday, April 18th until Tuesday, April 21st,.
Hailing from Papeete, French Polynesia, she will conduct presentations and exercises with the Samoan Police Maritime.
The Bougainville is a versatile and enduring patrol vessel that can cover a wide range of missions, from logistical support and transporting equipment to providing humanitarian assistance and emergency relief in the event of a natural disaster. FNS Bougainville also participates in the fight against illegal fishing and drug trafficking.
On Saturday, a presentation of the French military presence and activity in the Pacific will be held for Samoan officials. Law enforcement at sea will be a major topic, and more specifically the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) and against drug trafficking.
On Monday, a delegation from the Samoan Police Maritime Wing will be welcomed onboard the Bougainville. Both teams will be performing a VBSS (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure) exercise, aiming at improving the fight against drug trafficking in the region. After a quick debriefing, the two crews will be competing in a small sporting event.
The French Navy has been playing a major role in the fight against drug trafficking in the region, with 3 major seizures since the beginning of 2026 only: 4.87 tons on 19 January, 4.2 tons on 3 February, and 2.4 tons on 13 February. These successes were registered in close partnership with Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
FNS Bougainville takes her name from Count de Bougainville, a French explorer and scientist who embarked on a three-year world tour in 1766. His journey took him to Brazil, where a flower (the bougainvillea) was named after him, and then to Tahiti, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. The French Navy is celebrating this year the 400th anniversary of its creation by Cardinal de Richelieu, in 1626.