Fincantieri inks maintenance deal for US Navy’s Avenger-class minesweepers

Fincantieri Marine Systems North America (FMSNA), a company specialized in marine systems, components and services which is part of the US subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), was awarded a maintenance contract for the US Navy’s Avenger-class minesweepers.

The US Navy operates eight Avenger-class vessels, which are homeported in Bahrain and Japan. The ships are designed as mine sweepers/hunter-killers capable of finding, classifying and destroying moored and bottom mines.

All the vessels have diesel engines produced by Isotta Fraschini Motori, another Fincantieri subsidiary. The units were made in Marinette and Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. These ships use sonar and video systems, cable cutters and a mine detonating device that can be released and detonated by remote control. 

They are the first large mine countermeasures ships built in the US in nearly 27 years.

The value of the new contract goes up to $78 million. The company is also engaged in the construction of the US Navy’s Constellation-class frigates. Recently, Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Fincantieri’s subsidiary, dedicated a new facility at the Marinette shipyard for the construction of the frigates.