''La Flèche'' (P32) is a patrol vessel owned and operated by the

Seychelles Coast Guard The Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) is a branch of the Seychelles People's Defence Force created in 1993. It is a maritime, military, multi-mission service. They acquired responsibility for search and rescue for vessel incidents as well as environmen ...

. ''La Flèche'' was donated to

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

by the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

, with a sister ship, on April 1, 2011. Although the Seychelles are a small country, it is located off the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, strategically close to the operation of active pirates. Other

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

nations see their donations of patrol vessels to Seychelles as a strategic investment in fighting piracy. Through the Seychelles Coast Guard's employment of ''La Flèche'', and other ships in her small fleet, Seychelles has been able to arrest, try and convict many pirates. In 2013 the UAE paper ''The National'' reported that Seychelles was then imprisoning more than 100 convicted pirates.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = http://www.bairdmaritime.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8945:uae-donates-patrol-vessels-to-seychelles&catid=73&Itemid=65 , title = UAE donates patrol vessels to Seychelles , publisher =

Workboat World A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

, author = , date = 2011-01-10 , page = , location = , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110110094905/http://www.bairdmaritime.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8945:uae-donates-patrol-vessels-to-seychelles&catid=73&Itemid=65 , archivedate = 2011-01-10 , accessdate = 2017-02-13 , url-status = dead , quote = “The UAE pledged the donation of five maritime patrol vessels in July last year... We are deeply grateful for this gesture and we note its importance as our fight against piracy is an immediate concern, which requires swift action and concrete support from the international community," said Seychellois President Michel. {{cite news , url = http://www.mfa.gov.sc/static.php?content_id=18&news_id=912 , title = A milestone in our relations"- Indian Navy hands over patrol ship to Seychelles Coast Guard , publisher =

Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Seychellois Creole, Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital ...

, author = , date = 2014-10-11 , page = , location = , archiveurl = , archivedate = , accessdate = 2017-02-15 , url-status = live , quote = Seychelles now has 6 patrol ships: Topaz, Constant, Andromache, Etoile, La Flèche and Le Vigilant. {{cite news , url = http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/1730/India+gifts+second+patrol+ship+to+Seychelles++'PS+Constant'+has+the+youngest+Seychellois+commanding+officer , title = India gifts second patrol ship to Seychelles – 'PS Constant' has the youngest Seychellois commanding officer , publisher =

Seychelles News Agency The Seychelles News Agency (SNA) is the state news agency of Seychelles. It is headquartered in Victoria and regulated by the Seychelles Media Commission. History Launched on 22 April 2014 during the opening of the biennial Seychelles honorary ...

, author = John Lablache, Sharon Uranie , date = 2014-11-07 , page = , location = , archiveurl = , archivedate = , accessdate = 2017-02-13 , url-status = live , quote = Apart from Etoile and Constant there are four other patrol vessels in the Seychelles Coast Guard's fleet; Topaz, Andromache (built in Italy in 1982 and funded by the Seychelles government) and La Flèche and Le Vigilant (both gifted by the UAE in 2011). - See more at: {{cite news , url = http://www.mfa.gov.sc/static.php?content_id=36&news_id=355 , title = UAE hands over 5 Coast Guard vessels , publisher =

, author = , date = 2011-04-01 , page = , location = , archiveurl = , archivedate = , accessdate = 2017-02-13 , url-status = live , quote = Two of these patrol boats are 30 metres long and can carry around 15 people each. The first has been named La Flèche and the second is Le Vigilant. {{cite news , url = http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-a-vital-ally-in-piracy-war , title = UAE a vital ally in piracy war , publisher = The National , author = Ramola Talwar Badam , date = 2013-03-11 , page = , location =

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, archiveurl = , archivedate = , accessdate = 2017-02-13 , url-status = live , quote = Over the past few years, the UAE has provided the Seychelles with a coast guard headquarters, radar stations, patrol boats and surveillance aircraft. There are now about 100 Somali pirates facing jail terms in the Seychelles and helping provide information about piracy gangs. Seychelles Coast Guard