The Maritime Gendarmerie (French: Gendarmerie maritime) is a component of the French National Gendarmerie under operational control of the chief of staff of the French Navy. It employs 1,157 personnel and operates around thirty patrol boats and high-speed motorboats distributed on the littoral waterways of France.[3] Like their land-based colleagues the Gendarmes Maritime are military personnel carry out policing operations in addition to their primary role as a coast guard service. They also carry out provost duties within the French Navy.
| Maritime Gendarmerie Gendarmerie maritime | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1832 – present[1][2] |
| Employees | 1,157 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | France |
| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdiction |
|
| Operational structure | |
| Parent agency | National Gendarmerie |
The uniforms and insignia of the Gendarmerie Maritime are very similar to those of the French Navy, but the ranks used are those of the rest of the Gendarmerie (which are the same as the traditional ranks of the French Cavalry).
Mission
The mission of the Maritime Gendarmerie is as follows:[4]
- Maritime safety and of general police force duties in the territorial waters and EEZ, under the authority of the maritime prefect.
- Criminal Investigation Department under the authority of public prosecutor.
- Protection of the naval shore establishments.
- Search and rescue.
Organisation
The Maritime Gendarmerie is commanded by a colonel who is assisted by a staff located in Paris. The coastguard is articulated in 3 groupings, 7 companies and 64 units (brigades of research, brigades of monitoring of the littoral, group of safety of the protected zones, group of monitoring of intervention and reinforcement, patrol craft, coastal high-speed motorboats of maritime surveillance) whose geographical distribution is as follows:[3]
- Metropolitan France :
- grouping of the English Channel and the North Sea in Cherbourg (2 companies)
- grouping of the Atlantic in Brest (4 companies);
- grouping of the Mediterranean in Toulon (2 companies);
- company from Paris to the Career-on-Seine (under the authority of the headquarters);
- national instruction center of the GM (C.N.I.G.M) in Toulon.
- Overseas:
- Guadeloupe: 1 patrol craft; (Violette)[5]
- French Guiana: 2 high-speed 20-metre motorboats (Charente and Organabo);
- Mayotte: 1 patrol craft (20-metre high-speed motorboat - Odet);
- French Polynesia: 1 patrol craft (Jasmin) and a brigade;
- New Caledonia: 1 high-speed motorboat of 20 meters (Dumbéa) and 2 brigades;
- Réunion: 1 high-speed 20-metre patrol boat (Verdon),[6] forward deployed in Mayotte as of early 2023[7]
Personnel
Commissioned officers are recruited from holders of a master's degree; non-commissioned officers from holders of a high school diploma giving access to university studies; auxiliary gendarmes are recruited without any specific educational prerequisite. Members of the maritime gendarmerie are recruited among officers, nco's and auxiliary gendarmes with a few years of general gendarmerie service. Certificate of competency for sea or inland water navigation and training in scuba diving is a merit for those who wants to join. Within the maritime gendarmerie there exists further specializations such as coxswain, mechanic, diver, underwater investigation technician, maritime and port security operative and watch-keeping officer.[8][9][10]
| Rank insignia |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Lieutenant | Capitaine | Chef d'Escadron | Lieutenant-colonel | Colonel | Général de brigade |
| Rank insignia |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Gendarme | Maréchal des logis Chef | Adjudant | Adjudant-chef | Major |
| Rank insignia |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Gendarme Adjoint de 2e classe | Gendarme Adjoint de 1er classe | Brigadier | Brigadier-chef | Maréchal des logis |
Patrol boats
| Class | Picture | Type | Boat | Displacement | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maroni class | Patrol boat | P692 Maroni P693 Oyapock P694 Aber Ildut | 72.5 tonnes | Based in English Channel/North Sea region: Cherbourg, Dunkirk and Boulogne-sur-Mer[11] | |
 | Patrol boat | P719 Armoise | 76 tonnes | Former Directorate for Maritime Affairs vessel based in Cherbourg pending arrival of PCG-NG boats starting late 2024[12][13] | |
| PCG-NG class | Patrol boat | 350 tonnes | Six vessels planned for delivery from late 2024;[14] Initially to replace Armoise as well as Géranium and Jonquille classes[15] | ||
| Géranium class |  | Patrol boat | P720 Géranium P722 Violette | 100 tonnes | P720 based in Lorient;[16] P722 in Guadeloupe[17] |
| Jonquille class | Patrol boat | P721 Jonquille P723 Jasmin | 98 tonnes | P721 based in Toulon;[18] P723 in Papeete[19] | |
| Elorn class |  | Patrol boat | P601 Elorn P602 Verdon P603 Adour P604 Scarpe P605 Vertonne P606 Dumbéa P607 Yser P608 Argens P609 Hérault P610 Gravona P611 Odet P612 Maury P613 Charente P614 Tech P615 Penfeld P616 Trieux P617 Vésubie P618 Escaut P619 Huveaune P620 Sèvre P621 Aber Wrac'h P622 Esteron P623 Mahury P624 Organabo | 41 tonnes | As of 2023: 11 units reported based in the Atlantic/English Channel/North Sea region; 7 in the Mediterranean; 2 in French Guiana; 2 in Mayotte; 1 in New Caledonia (1 - P623 - reported unserviceable as of late 2022)[20][21][22] |
| Pétulante class |  | Patrol boat | A789 Melia | 16 tonnes | Based at the National Instruction Centre of the Maritime Gendarmerie in Toulon[23] |
| Pavois class | Patrol boat | P692 Pavois P693 Ecu P964 Rondache P695 Harnois P696 Haubert P697 Heaume P698 Brigantine P699 Gantelet | 10.2 tonnes | All boats in service since 2011; reported based in: Le Havre (2 units), Port de Bouc (2 units), Marseilles, Cherbourg, Brest and Toulon[24] |