Fincantieri Delivers Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship to Italian Navy

Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano on Friday delivered Paolo Thaon di Revel, the first of seven new Multipurpose Offshore Patrol ships (PPA – Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura) for the Italian Navy.

The 143-meter-long PPAs are built at the Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano, with deliveries expected until 2026. They are part of the renewal plan of the operational lines of the Italian Navy vessels, approved by the Government and Parliament and started in May 2015 (“Naval Act”) under the aegis of OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement, the international organization for cooperation on arms).

The highly flexible multipurpose offshore patrol vessel is built to serve multiple functions, ranging from patrol with sea rescue capacity to Civil Protection operations and, in its most highly equipped version, first line fighting vessel. Each ship will be manned by approximately 135 crew members, with accommodation capacity up to 181 beds. They will also have capacity to supply drinking water to land.

Each will be fitted with combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion system, ie with electric motors for low speeds, and able to reach speeds up to 32 knots, according to vessel configuration and operational conditions.

For the seven vessels of the program there will be different configurations of combat system: starting from a “soft” version for the patrol task, integrated for self-defense ability, to a “full” one, which means equipped for a complete defense ability.

The patrol ship is also capable of operating high-speed vessels such as RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) up to 11 meters long through lateral cranes or a hauling ramp located at the far stern.