The Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri launched ‘Luigi Rizzo’, the sixth of overall ten Multi Mission European Frigates (FREMM) at the Riva Trigoso shipyard in Italy on December 19. Fincantieri is building the 10 FREMM vessels for the Italian Navy within the framework of an Italo-French cooperation program under the coordination of OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement, the international organization for cooperation on arms).
The ceremony was attended by both public and Navy officials and Fincantieri representatives.
The frigate will be fitted out in the Integrated naval shipyard of Muggiano (La Spezia), with delivery scheduled in early 2017.
The 144-meter ‘Luigi Rizzo’ has a displacement of approximately 6,700 tonnes. Fincantieri said the vessel would be capable of reaching a speed of over 27 knots and would provide accommodation for a 200-person crew.
The FREMM program ships are set to replace the Lupo- and Maestrale-class frigates built by Fincantieri in the 1970s.
The vessels ‘Carlo Bergamini’ and ‘Virginio Fasan’ were delivered in 2013, the ‘Carlo Margottini’ in 2014, the ‘Carabiniere’ in 2015 while the delivery of the ‘Alpino’ is scheduled in 2016. With the option exercised last April for the construction of the ninth and tenth vessel, whose delivery is scheduled after 2020, the Italian program has been fully implemented.
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