On June 4th, 2014, at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Riva Trigoso (Sestri Levante, Genoa), there was the ceremony to mark the cutting of the first sheeting for the seventh Fremm vessel.
This is a further step in the European Multi Mission Frigate construction program, the most important joint initiative to date among European industries in the Naval Defence field.
The ship, which will be delivered in the spring of 2018, will be 144 metres long, 19.7 metres wide with a displacement of approximately 6,700 tons. Capable of reaching speeds of over 27 knots, the vessel will have an availability of 200 berths and a crew of 145.
This is a highly flexible vessel, able to operate in a wide range of scenarios, especially in patrolling and safeguarding the Mediterranean area.
Prime contractor for Italy on the Fremm program is Orizzonte Sistemi Navali. Included within the current framework of the program for ltaly are eight vessels and an option for a further two which has still to be exercised.
Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, which in over 200 years of maritime history has built more than 7,000 vessels. It is world leader in cruise ship construction and a reference player in other sectors, from naval vessels to cruise ferries, from mega-yachts to special high value-added vessels, ship repairs and conversions and offshore vessels.
Headquartered in Trieste, the Group has more than 20,000 employees, of whom 7,700 in Italy, and 21 shipyards in 4 continents. During 2013 the Group acquired VARD, a company that builds offshore support vessels for oil & gas exploration and production and is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Fincantieri has thus doubled in size, becoming the western world’s largest shipbuilder.
[mappress] Press Release, June 10, 2014; Image: Wikimedia