electronic surveillance systems and two Dagaie decoy systems. The frigate is equipped with a helicopter landing pad located on the stern and a hangar. The ship is capable of operating the embarked Eurocopter AS565 Panther or Dauphin N3 up to sea state 5. Nivôse is capable of operating helicopters up to the size of the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma. Based out of Réunion, she most commonly operates the AS565 Panther. The ship has a complement of 90 including the aircrew and officers and 24 marines with capacity for a further 13 personnel. Construction and career Nivôse was ordered as part of the second pair on 9 January 1990 from Chantiers de l'Atlantique for construction at their yard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and the keel was laid down on 16 January 1991. The frigate was built using modular construction methods which reduced the vessel's construction time. Nivôse was launched on 10 August 1991 and commissioned into the French Navy on 16 October 1992. Following sea trials, Nivôse sailed for Arsenal de Lorient, Lorient where the weapons and sensors were installed and underwent further trials. After entering service, Nivôse was based at Port des Galets, Réunion to patrol France's Pacific territories. In December 2000, the frigate caught the fishing vessel Vedra illegally fishing south east of Kerguelen. After taking control of Vedra and heading for Port des Galets, the two ships came upon another vessel, Grand Prince, illegally fishing. Grand Prince was halted and boarded and all three vessels sailed for Réunion. On 27 July 2001, while sailing off the coast of Somalia, Nivôse received a distress call from Diana, which was afire. The crew of Diana had abandoned ship and were in the water in heavy seas. The frigate dispatched its helicopter and the 16 crew were rescued of which 15 were transported to the cargo ship . The sixteenth crew member was taken to Nivôse to receive medical treatment. In October 2001, Nivôse was deployed in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In January 2003, Nivôse intercepted and captured the fishing vessel Lince off the Kerguelen coast after it was spotted illegally fishing for toothfish. Lince, a vessel known for illegal fishing, was found to have of toothfish aboard and was taken to Port des Galets under escort by both Nivôse and the patrol vessel . In March 2004, the frigate was deployed in support of Madagascar after