The steel cutting ceremony of the new Hydro-Oceanographic Ship  of the Italian Navy, intended for mapping and scientific monitoring activities, as well as in support of the initiatives of the Hydrographic Institute, took place today at the Riva Trigoso shipyard.

Among those present at the event were Dario Deste, General Manager Naval Vessels Division of Fincantieri, the Director of the Hydrographic Institute, Rear Admiral Massimiliano Nannini and the Director of Naval Armaments, Chief Inspector Admiral Giuseppe Abbamonte.

The delivery is scheduled for 2026 at the integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso-Muggiano.

The renewal program of the naval units of the Navy’s hydrographic service is part of an innovative European project involving the Ministry of Defense. Within the scope of this project, a funding agreement has been reached between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).

The unit was designed paying the utmost attention to green aspects. Among its main features are technologies to contain emissions, a diesel-electric propulsion system to optimise fuel consumption, hull shapes to reduce drag and the use of environment-friendly materials. In the area of sustainability, the production process also participates in the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental management systems, as witnessed by all the Group’s Italian sites’ compliance with the ISO 14001 international standard.

The conception of the N.I.O.M. and its numerous scientific capabilities qualify it as a direct means of supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals on the sea.

A further key driver of the ship will be the focus on health&safety, aimed at ensuring the well-being of all personnel who will operate the ship during its operational life. Working with first-class suppliers, Fincantieri took a proactive approach to identify the best technical solutions to fully meet the customer’s operational requirements.

In 2018 Fincantieri supplied the Kronprins Haakon, an oceanographic icebreaker intended to operate in polar waters, to the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), the Norwegian government’s oceanographic and fisheries research organisation.

Furthermore, in 2021 the Group oversaw an exceptional refit of the Laura Bassi, Italy’s only oceanographic research icebreaker, owned by the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics.

The Hydrographic Institute of the Italian Navy is the Cartographic Body of the State appointed to produce official national nautical documentation.