People will get the chance to come aboard the French naval vessel Arago today.

The ship, which arrived in Rarotonga on Friday, helps assist with missions of sovereignty and protection of French exclusive economic zones (EEZ), intervention against maritime pollution and in favour of the preservation of the environment, as well as rescue and assistance to people.

Honorary Consul of France to the Cook Islands, Trish Barton said people could come onboard the ship between 9am to midday on Tuesday.

“It’s free for everyone to join. It’s the chance for people to get a look into the workings of a vessel of this size, find out what sort of people work in it, where they come from, what sort of equipment they have onboard and what the conditions are on the ship,” Barton said.

“We’re welcoming schools, families or people just interested to come take a look.”

Barton said in the afternoon, the ship and its crew will engage in some exercises with the Cook Islands police, including mock defensive measures.

The ship, which holds 35 workers, has been largely operating in French Polynesia.

Ship commander Bastien Khoury said he hoped visitors would learn about the different aspects of the ship, which he described as a “privilege” to command.

“Its been an amazing job to protect the various environments of the EEZ in French Polynesia and abroad,” Khoury said.

Cook Islands Police on Friday confirmed the visiting naval vessel Arago has been engaged in surveillance patrols.

Cook Islands Police Commissioner James Keenan on Friday welcomed the patrol vessel’s Captain and second in command. Following the courtesy call, the guests joined members of the Police staff in a social get-together. 

Named after the French physicist and astronomer, François Arago, the boat was commissioned in 1991. Its first role was to serve as a Hydro-Graphic ship and she first arrived in French Polynesia in 1992, where hydrographers worked on maps of French Polynesia and the Pacific Ocean.

The Arago then returned to France and was transformed into a patrol boat, sailing back to Tahiti in 2012, where it has been patrolling around the French E.E.Z.