Thai sea cadets and naval officials had the rare chance to board the French Navy's frigate Prairial as it visits Bangkok on a diplomatic and maritime surveillance mission which aims to strengthen ties between the Royal Thai Navy and the French Navy.
The Prairial was the second in a series of six ships built in the Saint-Nazaire shipyards in France in 1990-92 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
Her home port is Papeete in Tahiti, and the name Prairial refers to the "month of pasture harvest" in the calendar of the 18th century French Revolution.
The 2,600-tonne vessel is armed with 20mm and 100mm guns and Exocet surface-to-air missiles, and carries a transport craft, three boats and one Alouette III helicopter. Patrol ship Prairial and its 100 sailors are now in the second month of a three-month deployment.
It visited Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines before arriving at Bangkok's Klong Toey port for its fifth port call on Thursday.
According to commander Christophe Le Coz, the ship will be docked in Thailand until Sunday before returning to Tahiti.
"During the four-day period here, we have opened the Prairial's doors to many Thai sea cadets and naval officials and offered them guided tours around the 93.5-metre ship. The navies of both countries have exchanged good experiences," Le Coz said.
Earlier this month, the Prairial conducted international joint exercises with Thai Ratanakosin-class coastal defence ship Sukhothai and some Malaysian and Singaporean naval ships around the Strait of Malacca.
The operational exchange was aimed at promoting stability in the region, free navigation and strong strategic partnerships.
"It is important to have stability and freedom of navigation in this region, so we are working together to fight piracy and international drug trafficking, and illegal fishing. And I can say that we have worked very well with the Royal Thai Navy," Le Coz said.
He said both navies now aim to share more information about international drug trafficking, illegal fishing and exploitation of natural resources in the future.
The French commander and some of his crew will visit the Grand Palace to pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and write messages of condolence.