The setting ceremony was held today at the Fincantieri plant in Muggiano (La Spezia), which kick-started the work in the basin of the first Multipurpose Offshore Patrol (PPA).
This PPA, the first of seven units, will be delivered to the 2021 and is part of the plan to renew the operational lines of naval units of the Navy decided by the Government and Parliament and launched in May 2015.
Technical characteristics of the unit: PPA - Multipurpose Offshore Patrol boats
The key feature of this class of ships is their very high level of innovation, which makes them extremely flexible in different usage profiles with a high degree of efficiency. In particular, these units have a double profile of use (the so-called dual use), that is typically military and that for civil protection and rescue operations at sea; in addition they have a low environmental impact obtained with appropriate technological and construction solutions, such as for example the advanced auxiliary propulsion systems with low polluting emissions (electric motors).
Different combat system configurations are provided: starting from a "light" one, related to the patrol task, integrated with self-defense capabilities, up to a "complete" one, equipped with the maximum defense capability. Furthermore the unit is able to use fast boats such as RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) up to a length of over 11 meters by side cranes or a slipway located at the far stern.
- 132,5 meters in length
- Speed beyond 31 knots depending on configuration and operating order
- 173 crew members
- Equipped with a combined diesel and gas turbine system (CODAG) and an electric propulsion system
- Ability to provide drinking water to the ground
- Ability to provide ground current power for a power of 2000 kw
- 2 modular areas at the stern and amidships that allow the boarding of various types of containerized operational / logistic / residential / sanitary modules (in particular the stern area can receive and move up to 5 modules in ISO 20 'containers in the covered area while the central area up to 8 ISO 20 'containers)
The PPAs will be built at the Integrated Cantiere of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano with scheduled delivery for the first unit of the class in the 2021, while the subsequent ones will be delivered to the 2022, 2023, 2024 with two units in the 2025 and 2026.
