Vitamar III blessed and baptised

On the sunny morning of Thursday, September 17, the latest addition to the Department of Maritime Affairs (DAM) fleet was blessed and baptised. In attendance were many important figures, including Minister of State, Pierre Dartout, several government ministers and advisors, elected representitives of the National Council and the godmother of the vessel, Laëtitia de Massy.

To begin with, the director of DAM, Armelle Roudaut-Lafon, addressed the audiance with a presentation of the ship. “The blessing should have taken place in April, but covid obliged, and this ceremony had to be postponed,” said the director. She added that “The Vitamar III replaces the Vitamar II, a unit that was 25 years old.” This ship’s predicted lifetime beats its predecesor with 30 years of service expected, but longevity is in no way the only upgrade here.

At the end of the speach, the Archbishop of Monaco, Monsignor Dominique-Marie David officially blessed the boat as is the custom. Godmother of the vessel, Laëtitia de Massy then stepped in with a bottle of champagne to baptise ‘Vitamar III‘.

Following the ceremonial champagne spraying, the Minister of State and other officials boarded the ship to inspect its many features. See the gallery below:

Built in the Transmétal shipyard in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, ‘Vitamar III‘ clocks in at 15 metres long and 5 metres wide, providing the crew onboard with enough space and equipment for most sea scenarios. Costing €1.5m, this work vessel is versatile and will be utilised by a wide range of the Principality’s departments from the Maritime Police division to the Oceanographic Museum and more.

‘Vitamar III‘ completes the DAM fleet which is also comprised of two semi-rigid vessels, the ‘Sainte Dévote II‘ and the ‘Corallium II‘. Unlike her sister vessels, the ‘Vitamar III‘ boasts some impressive equipment such as the heavy duty crane attached to the rear platform. This “modern unit equipped with efficient lifting, anti-pollution and surveillance instruments will enable Maritime Affairs to strengthen its public service missions at sea.” said the DAM director.