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Mombasa Port Receives French Naval Patrol Vessel, Le Malin, Boosting Maritime Security

Arrival of French patrol vessel marks strengthened Franco-Kenyan cooperation and strategic Indian Ocean partnership

Funmi Adewoju SuleoduJanuary 24, 20261 Mins read

The Port of Mombasa, Kenya, welcomed the arrival of the French naval patrol vessel, Le Malin, today, Saturday, January 24, 2026, in a move that underscores growing maritime security cooperation in East Africa.

Captain Patrick Onyango, Harbour Master and General Manager of Marine Operations, officially received the vessel’s crew on behalf of Managing Director Captain William Ruto.

The reception ceremony drew high-profile dignitaries, including the French Ambassador to Kenya, Arnaud Sucquet, and the German Ambassador to Kenya, Sebastian Groth, who were given a guided tour of the vessel’s operational sections.

Ambassador Sucquet highlighted France’s commitment to deepening naval cooperation with Kenya, particularly through joint exercises aimed at enhancing security in the Indian Ocean region. He further emphasized Kenya’s growing strategic importance to regional stability.

The presence of Ambassador Groth was symbolic, aligning with ongoing Franco-German celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, the landmark 1963 agreement that ended decades of rivalry and established a modern partnership between the two nations.

Le Malin was originally launched in 1997 as a longline fishing vessel but was seized by French authorities in 2004 for illegal fishing activities in the Southern Ocean. The French Navy later refurbished and commissioned her as a patrol vessel, now deployed across the southern Indian Ocean to monitor fishing activity and enforce maritime law.

Author

Funmi Adewoju Suleodu

Olufunmilayo Adewoju Suleodu is a veteran journalist, editor, and publisher with more than three decades of experience in journalism, communications, and public affairs.

She has worked across news media, magazine publishing, communications, development-sector engagements, and digital journalism. She currently publishes SageBits Online and reports on governance, development, business, education, traditional institutions, and public affairs.

She is also an elected officer of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun East Independent Chapel, reflecting her continued engagement with the journalism profession and media development.

Based in Ogun State, she is available for freelance reporting, feature writing, editorial assignments, research, project documentation, and development communications work.

Detailed professional history and references are available upon request.

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Written by

Funmi Adewoju Suleodu

Olufunmilayo Adewoju Suleodu is a veteran journalist, editor, and publisher with more than three decades of experience in journalism, communications, and public affairs. She has worked across news media, magazine publishing, communications, development-sector engagements, and digital journalism. She currently publishes SageBits Online and reports on governance, development, business, education, traditional institutions, and public affairs. She is also an elected officer of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun East Independent Chapel, reflecting her continued engagement with the journalism profession and media development. Based in Ogun State, she is available for freelance reporting, feature writing, editorial assignments, research, project documentation, and development communications work. Detailed professional history and references are available upon request.