patrol boat market

Patrol ships and boats represent the largest class of combatants. They are used to maintain order, accomplish patrol missions, intercept and convoy trespassers, protect fishery and execute other law- enforcement missions. These diverse requirements have led to the development of various types of patrol ships and boats; that's why a single country can simultaneously operate several such types. Currently, the total number of patrol ships and boats amounts to more than 4,000. They account for over a half of all ships in the world's navies as each sea country is highly concerned with safety of its coasts and offshore economic zones.
The displacement of patrol ships and boats varies from several tons to 6,000 t, and the maximum speeds vary from 10 to 65 knots depending on the diversity of their missions and the specifics of operational areas.
Actually, patrol ships and boats are peacetime vessels designed to:
- guard the state border, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf;
- protect individual freighters and vessels loaded with hazardous cargoes in ports (harbors, roads), as well as underwater pipelines and communications cable lines;
- suppress smuggling, drug traffic and illegal migration;
- support customs, sanitary and other types of clearance of arriving and departing vessels;
- search for and rescue aircraft, helicopters, other flying vehicles, ships and vessels during accidents in coastal areas;
- maintain sea navigation aids;
- monitor ecological situation and reveal pollution sources.
In terms of missions and appropriate technical characteristics, patrol boats can be classified as:
- high-speed border guard boats designed to intercept trespassers;
- patrol boats intended to guard the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf from unauthorized activities (fishery, mining, etc.) of foreign vessels;
- coast guard boats well-equipped for search and rescue operations and used to monitor legally established navigation procedures in coastal areas and to help vessels and flying vehicles in emergency;
- police boats with a maximum displacement of 15 t intended to maintain order in port water areas and harbors, as well as to protect vessels loaded with hazardous cargoes;
- customs boats used to deliver teams of customs officers to and from arriving and departing vessels;
- special-purpose boats used to guard underwater pipelines and cables, monitor ecological situation in coastal areas and in airspace and to maintain navigation aids.
Considering high demand for patrol boats, the world's leading naval manufacturers pay much attention to this market segment. The analysis of world's naval fleets allows the identification of major exporters of patrol boats. The

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market segmentation diagram is presented in Fig. 1.
The diagram shows that the United States is the largest patrol boat exporter. However, a third of US-exported patrol boats was previously operated or moth-balled by the US Coast Guard. This practice is not typical of other exporting countries. For example, the number of in-service patrol boats exported by Great Britain, France and Germany accounts for less than 1 percent of the total number of exported patrol ships. Over the recent decade, the growing demand for patrol boats and the development of national shipbuilding industries in various countries have significantly expanded the list of patrol boat exporters. Now this list includes such countries as Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Japan, Spain, Italy, Finland and some others.
The long history of patrol ship operation and the rates of replenishment of naval inventories indicate that the patrol ship market is rather stable. This fact is confirmed by the diagram presented in Fig. 2. The forecasted growth of patrol boat purchases in 2000-2010 is attributable to the intensive development of coast guard and maritime police forces in some countries and patrol boats' expiring service lives.

The analysis of patrol boat imports in the total amount of acquisition is shown in Fig. 3 (acquisition before 2000, discarding after 2000). According to a retrospective analysis, on the average only half of commissioned ships was imported. The increase in the number of countries independently capable of building patrol boats with a maximum displacement of 600 t reduces the market by 10 to 15 percent and expands the opportunities of military-technical cooperation by establishing license production facilities.