Fincantieri splashes first next-gen OPV for Italian Navy (PHOTOS)

February 23, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri has launched the next-generation offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Ugolino Vivaldi for the Italian Navy at its shipyard in Riva Trigoso.

This is the first of four units that Fincantieri is building for the Italian Navy. The vessels are part of a program assigned to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, a joint venture between Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), by the Naval Armaments Directorate, part of the National Armaments Directorate.

The vessel has a length of approximately 95 meters, a displacement of about 2,400 tons, and the capacity to accommodate 93 crew members. Among the most notable innovations is the integrated naval cockpit, developed for the multi-purpose combat ships (PPA) of the Italian Navy, the result of a collaboration between Fincantieri NexTech and Leonardo.

This station allows the control of engines, rudders, and platform systems, as well as some combat system functions, by just two operators, the pilot and co-pilot, to optimize efficiency and safety.

The OPV program addresses the need to ensure adequate capabilities for presence and surveillance, maritime patrol, merchant traffic control, protection of communication lines and the exclusive economic zone, as well as activities to counter threats from marine pollution, such as the spillage of toxic liquids.