The construction of the "green" ship, the future flagship of the Harbor Master's Office, gets underway

(To Fincantieri)
31/03/23

Fincantieri and Cantiere Navale Vittoria celebrated the laying of the keel of theMultirole Offshore Unit (UAM) destined for the Italian Coast Guard sanctioning, symbolically and officially, the beginning of the most significant part of the construction phase of the vessel.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the chief inspector admiral, Nicola Carlone, general commander of the Port Authorities-Coast Guard, Paolo Duò, president of the Vittoria Shipyard, Luigi Duò, board member of the Board of Directors of the Vittoria Shipyard, Dario Deste, general manager of the Military Ships Division of Fincantieri.

Following the auspicious ritual, at the end of the event, an evocative plate of the day was welded onto the first two blocks of the hull already completed. 

The design and construction of the "green" unit, worth around 80 million euros (including integrated logistics support and temporary service activities), was entrusted in 2021 by the general command of the Port Authorities - Coast Guard to the temporary grouping of companies (RTI) formed by Fincantieri and Cantiere Navale Vittoria. 

The UAM with an overall length of 85 meters, designed to fulfill the various missions entrusted to the Coast Guard, from sea rescue to navigation safety, from the protection of the marine environment to that of fish resources, up to its use as a headquarters of operational command for the management of the various civil protection devices in intervention missions in response to serious disasters and calamities, will be built entirely at the Veneto shipyard with delivery scheduled for the end of April 2025. 

The unit that will increase and enhance the operational capabilities of the Coast Guard will be employed in long-range offshore operations (with a logistic autonomy of at least 20 days, greater than 4.800 miles), in which it will be able to take on, thanks to and to the advanced communication and discovery systems present on board, also the role of command and control for the coordination of aeronautical means in the areas of operation.

The order, together with the construction of the multi-purpose offshore vessel, provides for a five-year temporary support service and the option for the possible construction of a further two vessels.

“With this new unit” - comments the admiral chief inspector Nicola Carlone - “The work of renewal and adaptation of the offshore naval component of the Coast Guard continues in order to face increasingly complex operational scenarios in which we will not be able to disregard attention to sustainability and technological innovation. The programmatic investment on the operational tool - concluded Admiral Carlone - will allow the women and men of the Corps to carry out, in an even more efficient way, the missions entrusted to the Coast Guard, above all, search and rescue at sea, a priority task for our organization and a distinctive element of our professionalism in the field. ” 

“Sustainability, reliability and innovation – declares Paolo Duò, president of the Vittoria Shipyard, on the sidelines of the ceremony – these are the distinctive elements of the unit which from today, together with Fincantieri, we will complete in our factory, confident that it will become the flagship of our Coast Guard fleet. Today's ceremony, in addition to sealing the multi-year collaboration with the general command of the Port Authorities, which we thank for their presence and renewed trust, certifies the success of a synergistic initiative which has seen two national companies join forces to guarantee the of Porto the supply of a modern and efficient vehicle. A precious collaboration that we hope to replicate in the near future with the construction of the two optional units of the future flagship".

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri states: “The ship that is starting to take shape today, in concert with the partners of the Vittoria Shipyard, embodies many aspects that characterize our Group. In fact, the unit inherits the successful experience of building the Dattilo and Diciotti patrol vessels, again for the Coast Guard, and enriches it with innovative solutions that will determine its distinctiveness, especially in terms of ecological transition. Furthermore, the philosophy behind the project is based on maximum operational versatility, another strong connotation of Fincantieri products".

Technical features

With a total length of about 85 meters, the UAM will be characterized by excellent qualities in terms of sea keeping as well as high manoeuvrability, guaranteed by an electric propulsion system of the azimuth type powered by an electric power plant and by two bow thrusters bows for dynamic positioning that ensure the environmental sustainability of the vessel. The presence of a large working deck with off-shore cranes and a loading ramp for wheeled vehicles, together with the flight deck for landing and take-off of helicopters, dedicated rescue zones with relative rigid keel inflatable boats (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat), the anti-pollution systems (rec-oil), the hospital area and other equipment, favor the high versatility and the necessary multi-role capacity of the naval unit.