Fincantieri Lays Keel of the Sixth Fremm Frigate

Sept. 10, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Fincantieri; issued Sept. 6, 2013)

(Issued in Italian only; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com)

Riva Trigoso: Fincantieri Lays Keel of the Frigate “Luigi Rizzo”

Today at the Riva Trigoso shipyard, near Genoa, Fincantieri held a ceremony marking the laying of the keel of the frigate "Luigi Rizzo", the sixth ship of the FREMM program.

This event continues the construction of the European Multi-Mission Frigates, which remains to date the most important joint initiative between European industries in the field of naval defense.

The vessel, which will be delivered in early 2017, will be about 144 meters long, 19.7 wide, and will have a full load displacement of about 6,700 tons.

She will be able to reach a top speed of over 27 knots, and will accommodate up to 200 people.

The ship will be characterized by a high operational flexibility, and will have the ability to operate in multiple scenarios, particularly to maintain the security of the Mediterranean basin.

The ships of the FREMM program will represent the authority of the Italian state and of the European Union in the Mediterranean, and will replace the Italian navy’s "Lupo" and "Maestrale" class frigates, built by Fincantieri in the seventies.

The initiative involves the participation as prime contractor for Italy of Horizon Sistemi Navali (51% Fincantieri, Finmeccanica 49%) and for France of Armaris (DCNS + Thales).

This cooperative program has built on the positive experience of the previous French-Italian program "Horizon" that led to the creation of two destroyers for the Italian Navy, the '"Andrea Doria" and "Caio Duilio".