Fincantieri Marinette to Build Saudi Warships
A Lockheed Martin-led team has secured a multibillion dollar order from the U.S. Navy to build four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants ships for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of the U.S.’s Foreign Military Sales program.
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), who has been working with Lockheed Martin, naval architect Gibbs & Cox and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states for the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, said it will build the ships at its Marinette yard in Wisconsin. The shipbuilder said its share of the now-definitized contract is approximately $1.3 billion.
The Multi-Mission Surface Combatant is a lethal and highly-maneuverable, multimission surface combatant, which features the flexibility of the Freedom-variant LCS steel mono-hull, built by the same team for the US Navy (nine LCS vessels have been delivered and there are currently seven ships in various stages of construction), an increased range of 5,000 nautical miles and speeds in excess of 30 knots, making it capable of littoral and open ocean operation, and able to confront modern maritime and economic security threats, the builder said.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said, “Orders such as these, besides being very significant from an economic point of view, mark themselves for important industrial aspects. This result caps off a remarkable work, which has brought us to consolidate an unparalleled reputation also in the US market, known to be very complex. It also is an acknowledgement of the strategic, technological and management skills that Fincantieri is able to express always to the highest level and in any context.”
Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), which owns FMM and two more yards again in the Great Lakes region, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri Ace Marine, since 2008 has invested more than 180 million dollars to modernize the Wisconsin shipyards, hiring and training more than 1,000 people, with a total workforce in the three sites of about 2,500 people and more than 350 contractors.
