Fincantieri and Cantiere Navale Vittoria celebrated the laying of the keel of the Multi-purpose Offshore Unit destined for the Italian Coast Guard today, at the company’s yard in the Veneto region, symbolically and officially sanctioning the beginning of the most significant part of the construction phase of the boat.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Admiral Chief Inspector, Nicola Carlone, General Commander of the Port Authorities-Coast Guard, Paolo Duò, President of the Vittoria Shipyard, Luigi Duò, board member of the Board of Directors of the Vittoria Shipyard, Dario Deste, General Manager of the Naval Vessels Division of Fincantieri.

Following the auspicious ritual, at the end of the event, an evocative plaque of the day was welded onto the first two blocks of the hull already completed.

The design and construction of the “green” unit, worth around 80 million euros (including integrated logistic support activities and temporary service), was entrusted in 2021 by the General Command of the Port Authorities – Coast Guard to the temporary grouping of companies (RTI) formed by Fincantieri and Cantiere Navale Vittoria.

The UAM, with an overall length of 85 meters, is designed to fulfil the various missions entrusted to the Coast Guard, from sea rescue to navigation safety, from the protection of the marine environment to that of fish resources, up to its use as a headquarters of operational command for the management of the various civil protection devices in intervention missions in response to severe disasters and calamities. It will be built entirely at the Veneto shipyard, with delivery scheduled for the end of April 2025.

The unit that will increase and enhance the operational capabilities of the Coast Guard will be employed in long-range offshore operations (with a logistic autonomy of at least 20 days, more significant than 4,800 miles), in which it will be able to take on, thanks to and to the advanced communication and discovery systems present on board, also the role of command and control for the coordination of aeronautical means in the areas of operation.

The order and construction of the multi-purpose offshore vessel provide five-year temporary support service and the option to build two additional ships.

“With this new unit”, -comments Admiral Chief Inspector Nicola Carlone– “the work of renewal and adaptation of the offshore naval fleet of the Coast Guard continues to cope with increasingly complex operational scenarios in which we need to focus the attention to sustainability and technological innovation. The programmatic investment in the operational instrument – concludes Admiral Carlone – will allow the women and men of the Corps to fulfil, in an even more efficient way, the missions entrusted to the Coast Guard, among others, search and rescue at sea, priority task for our organization and distinctive element of our professionalism in the field.

“Sustainability, reliability and innovation – declares Paolo Duò, President of the Vittoria Shipyard, on the sidelines of the ceremony – are the distinctive elements of the unit that from today, together with Fincantieri, we will complete in our factory, confident that it will become the flagship of our Coast Guard fleet. In addition to sealing the many years of collaboration with the General Command of the Port Authorities, which we thank for their presence and renewed trust, today’s ceremony certifies the success of a synergistic initiative which has seen two national companies join their forces to guarantee the Port Authorities the supply of a modern and efficient vehicle. A precious collaboration that we hope to replicate soon with the construction of the two optional units of the future flagship”.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri, comments: “The ship that is starting to take shape today, in concert with the partners of the Vittoria Shipyard, embodies many aspects that characterize our Group. The unit inherits the successful experience of constructing the Dattilo and Diciotti patrol boats, again for the Coast Guard. It enriches it with innovative solutions that determine its distinctiveness, especially regarding ecological transition. Furthermore, the philosophy behind the project is based on maximum operational versatility, another strong connotation of Fincantieri products”.

Technical features
With a total length of about 85 meters, the UAM will be characterized by excellent qualities in terms of seakeeping as well as high manoeuvrability, guaranteed by an electric propulsion system of the azimuth type powered by an electric power plant and by two bow thrusters bows for dynamic positioning that ensures the environmental sustainability of the vessel. The presence of a large working deck with offshore cranes and a loading ramp for wheeled vehicles, together with the flight deck for landing and take-off of helicopters, dedicated rescue zones with relatively rigid keel inflatable boats (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat), the anti-pollution systems (rec-oil), the hospital area and other equipment, favour the high versatility and the necessary multi-role capacity of the naval unit.