Italian Coast Guard orders multi-purpose offshore vessel
Illustration of the new offshore unit for the Italian Coast Guard (Source: Fincantieri/Vittoria)
Italian shipyards Fincantieri and Cantiere Navale Vittoria have won an order from the Italian Coast Guard for an 85m-long multi-purpose offshore unit. Both shipbuilders will operate through a temporary grouping of companies.
The contract, worth about EUR 80 million, includes construction of the vessel itself, a five-year support service, and options for two similar vessels.
The ship has been designed to incorporate the Coast Guard’s current needs, together with in-service experience from the operation of patrol vessels, Dattilo and Diciotti, deliverd in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
The vessel, capable of undertaking deep-sea missions, will have an endurance of about 4,800 nautical miles or 20 days, and will be able to coordinate air-sea missions and assets during operations. An electricity generating plant will provide power to two azipods and two bow thrusters with dynamic positioning capability. A large working deck with offshore cranes and a boarding ramp for wheeled vehicles will ensure operational flexibility, together with other features including a helicopter deck, a dedicated rescue zone with rigid-hull inflatables, anti-pollution systems, and a hospital bay.
