G4 Avallone is Launched

The patrol boat, the second of a series of three 35 m, 35 knot patrol vessels, named “G4 Avallone” will be delivered next winter. The operative patrol boat “Bigliani Class” V Serie “G4 Avallone” has been launched this morning at 11.00 a.m. at the well-known shipyard Intermarine in Sarzana. Intermarine has since September 2002 been a part of Rodriquez Cantieri Navali. The ceremonial Godmother who will break the traditional bottle of champagne, will be Mrs. Ilaria Avallone, a direct descendant of C.dr Alfredo Avallone, a WWII hero who was given a Medal of Honour for military valour during World War 2. The ceremony has been attended by representatives of the Guardia di Finanza and the General Castore Palmerini, chief of the Ligurian Area Command will preside, along with the proud management and workers from the shipyard. The “G4 Avallone” is the second patrol boat of the Bigliani Class V Series launched by Intermarine in only a few months. As with the first patrol boat, the “G3 Di Bartolo”, she will be used for coastal patrolling for the control of drug interdiction and illegal immigration. She will enrich the Guardia di Finanza Navy both in technological as well as numerical terms. The “G4 Avallone” is part of a very important project of collaboration between the Guardia di Finanza and Intermarine. In fact, Intermarine will build for them three 35m patrol boats and ten 27m patrol boats before the end of 2005 with a total contract value of more than 100 million Euro. The Bigliani V series patrol boats are the result of a long cooperation between the Guardia di Finanza and Intermarine. These boats, equipped with two 2560 kw MTU diesel engines can reach a maximum speed of 35 knots with 135 tonnes full load displacement. They will get a RINA classification and will be made in composite materials with antiballistic protection Kevlar and will be armed with an Oto Melara 30 mm gun. Intermarine shipyard in Satzana has now under construction 17 vessels of various type: ten 27 m Patrol boats, three 35 m Patrol Boats, two 118’ Wally Power yacht, one 38 m Rodriquez Yacht and the first of the Conam 75 WideBody series. Considering the totality of boats currently under construction at all the Rodriquez Cantieri Navali yards there are 41 boats under construction for a total value of about 260 Million of euro.