On March 30, 2025 part of the crew of Nave Andrea Doria had the opportunity to visit Nave Castorone, moored at the San Giorgio facilities in the port of Genoa, flagship of the fleet of Saipem SpA, an Italian company and global leader in engineering services for the design, construction and operation of complex infrastructures and plants in the energy sector, both offshore and onshore.
The invitation on board is the result of a consolidated collaboration between the Italian company and the Navy and specifically arises from the sense of gratitude expressed by the commander for the valuable activity carried out by the Navy units in the Red Sea as part of the ASPIDES operation to protect merchant routes, threatened by the fragile stability that characterizes the region.
During the visit the crew of the Castorone illustrated the characteristics of this special vessel, among the largest pipelayers in the world. Equipped with all the most advanced state-of-the-art technology, also of Italian production, it is able to operate in multiple scenarios, being able to count on a dynamic positioning system that guarantees operational precision even in adverse weather conditions.
Inside the ship, a real factory was shown, optimized to speed up the laying of pipelines both in shallow and deep waters, up to 3.000 meters, thanks to the 120-meter long adjustable launching ramp, called Stinger, and the tensioning capacity of up to 1.200 tons.
The event represented a precious moment of mutual knowledge between entities that operate in the same environment with different purposes, tasks and means but that sometimes meet to address common problems.
