Fincantieri to Build Logistic Support Ship for Italian Navy in $462M Deal

Fincantieri-led consortium Raggruppamento Temporaneo di Impresa (RTI) has won a contract to build a second Logistic Support Ship (LSS) for the Italian Navy, which also includes the option for a third ship.

The consortium signed the contract with OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement) the international organization for joint armament cooperation.

The LSS will be fully built at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyard in Italy, with delivery scheduled for 2025. The value of the contract is around  410 million euros ($462,3 million) including the combat system. 

The order also includes the provision of support over the lifecycle of the vessel in the first ten years, divided into logistics and in-service support (maintenance), as well as the supply of naval components and machinery produced by Fincantieri Mechanical Systems and Components Unit, including shaft lines, steering system, maneuvering thrusters, fin stabilizers, and other handling systems. 

The LSS is a vessel that provides logistics support to the fleet and has hospital and healthcare capabilities thanks to the presence of a fully equipped hospital of approximately 800 square meters, which includes: 2 operating rooms with pre-anesthesia, a radiology room, a dentist’s office, a gynecological office, 2 emergency rooms, a clinical diagnosis lab, and blood bank, an intensive care room, a CT scan room, and a burns room. 

The ship combines the ability to transport and transfer to other transport vessels liquid cargo (diesel fuel, jet fuel, fresh water) and solid cargo (spare parts, food, and ammunitions) and to perform at sea repairs and maintenance work for other vessels. The defense systems are limited to the capacity of command and control in tactical scenarios, communications, and non-lethal dissuasive defense systems. 

The LSS is also capable of embarking on more complex defense systems and becoming a platform for intelligence and electronic warfare systems.

Specs of the LSS

•193 meters long 

•Top speed approx. 20 knots 

•235 persons including crew and specialists 

•Capacity to supply drinking water to land for approx. 6,000 people 

•Capacity to provide electricity to land with 2,500 kW of power 

•Possibility of embarking up to 28 ISO 20 modules, including residential and healthcare modules 

•Capacity to perform rescues at sea, through recovery and seabed operations (the ship is equipped with two 30-tonne offshore cranes) 

•Base for rescue operations via 2 helicopters and special vessels (2 RHIBs and 2 tenders)