In French service, the first two ships of the Durance class were dubbed Pétrolier Ravitailleur d'Escadre (PRE, "fleet replenishment oiler").

The ship is powered by two SEMT Pielstick 16 PC2.5 V 400 diesel engines turning two LIPS controllable pitch propellers rated at 15,000 kilowatts (20,000 hp).

The ship utilised Aérospatiale Alouette III and Westland Lynx helicopters in French service, but are capable of operating larger ones from their flight deck.

[1] Renamed ARA Patagonia, the replenishment ship arrived at Puerto Belgrano on 29 August 1999 where she spent one year in drydock receiving an overhaul of her engines and hull.

She was commissioned with the pennant number B-1 (LGPA) into the Amphibious and Logistic Naval Command (COAL) of the fleet on 9 July 2000 and made her first voyage in the following month.

[6] Since then Patagonia has participated in numerous exercises and operations within the fleet and foreign navies including Pre-Unitas, UNITAS,[7] Gringo-Gaucho,[8] Atlasur, PASSEX, Ghost, and Fraterno with the United States, Chile, Brazil and Spain among others.

[14] In October 2022, it was reported that the Argentine defence ministry had allocated funding for a refit of the ship to be carried out at the Puerto Belgrano Naval Arsenal in collaboration with the Tandanor shipyard.