Sen. Stefania Pucciarelli, the Italian Undersecretary of Defence representing Minister Lorenzo Guerini, Adm Eduardo Serra, the Italian Navy Logistic Commander, and Giuseppe Giordo, General Manager of Fincantieri's Naval Vessel division, attended the ceremony, which was conducted in a restricted format and in full compliance with anti-contagion requirements.

Mrs. Anna Maria Pugliese, daughter of Admiral Stefano Pugliese, was the ship's godmother. He was the captain of the light cruiser "Montecuccoli," which was commissioned into the Italian Navy fleet in 1935 and decommissioned in 1964.

The multipurpose offshore patrol vessel is a versatile ship that can perform a variety of tasks, including patrol with sea rescue capabilities, Civil Protection operations, and, in its most advanced form, first-line combat vessel.

There will be different battle system configurations, ranging from a "soft" version for patrol duty with self-defense capabilities to a "complete" version with total defense capability.

Via lateral cranes or a hauling ramp located at the far stern, the vessel may also operate high-speed vessels such as RHIBs (Rigid Hull Inflatable Ships) up to 11 meters long.

The third of seven vessels will be delivered in 2023. It is part of the Government and Parliament-approved renewal plan for the operational lines of the Italian Navy vessels, which started in May 2015 (“Naval Act”) under the auspices of OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l'Armement, the international organization for arms cooperation).

Maritime Business World