France is to increase its military surveillance in the Pacific by building a new docking quay at the Chaleix naval base in Noumea, New Caledonia.
The quay, which will host two new military patrol P400 boats, will stretch to 130 metres long, and cost $US12 million.
The two new patrol vessels - the Auguste-Benebig and the Jean-Tranape - will replace two older models.
These boats will be able to survey the 1.7 million sq km of the economic zone around New Caledonia.
Senior Commander of the Armed Forces in New Caledonia, Valery Putz, told la premiere it will be the start of greater military surveillance in the Indo-Pacific region.
Valery Putz (in white) laying the foundations to the new base Photo: ©Alain NOTA
"These two new boats are efficient partly because of their length and partly thanks to their autonomy.
"The capacity to navigate for 30 days and to go more than 5000 nautical miles from its naval base allows us to stabilise the region and cooperate with other countries such as Fiji, Australia or New Zealand."
Two other patrol boats are expected to be sent to Tahiti.
According to Tahiti infos there is a possibility the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle might come to the Pacific in 2025 through a deal sealed between the United States and France in 2021.
Next month France will send three Rafale warplanes to New Caledonia to join the air force exercise Pitch Black in northern Australia.
The planes and their support aircraft will be deployed to the French military base at La Tontouta, north of Noumea.
Recently, the French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the challenges posed by geopolitical rivalries in a multi-polar region can only be the subject of an inclusive and multilateral response based on respect for the law.