First full combat multi-purpose patrol ship delivered to Italian Navy

The Italian Navy's first 'full combat' multi-purpose offshore patrol ship, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere , pictured at delivery from Fincantieri at their Muggiano shipyard in La Spezia on 2 October 2024. (Fincantieri)

Fincantieri delivered the Italian Navy's first multi-purpose offshore patrol ship (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA) configured for full combat at its shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia, on 2 October.

Giovanni dalle Bande Nere is the fourth of seven PPAs being built by Fincantieri as part of the Italian Navy's fleet-renewal plan, conducted by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR). The PPAs are being built at Fincantieri's shipyards of Riva Trigoso in Genoa and Muggiano with deliveries scheduled until 2026. This launch will be followed by that of the fifth PPA, Marcantonio Colonna .

The 143 m Giovanni dalle Bande Nere has a speed of over 31 knots and can carry a crew of 171, said Fincantieri. While fitted with COmbined Diesel And Gas Or eLectric (CODAGOL) propulsion like the other PPAs, all the vessels from this fourth ship onward will be equipped with new 16V170C2ME diesel generator sets (DGSs) by Fincantieri subsidiary Isotta Fraschini Motori. Each DGS has a rating of 1,600 kWe at 1,200 rpm and an electrical frequency of 60 Hz. It features a selective catalytic reduction system to comply with International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL, short for Marine Pollution) Tier III regulations, as well as a noise reduction enclosure. The generator is equipped with 16 cylinders in a V configuration, and a common rail electronic injection system.