Fincantieri, ONEX present design solution for Hellenic Navy’s new corvettes

Fincantieri and ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group have presented their common strategy if they received the contract for the program of the Hellenic Navy’s corvettes.

Fincantieri is offering the FCx30, which is a corvette with “supreme performance” in all the warfare area. The design derives from the Doha-class for the Qatari Emiri Navy.

With a full load displacement of 3,200 tons, a length overall of 107 meters and a maximum speed over 26 knots, the vessels will be capable to operate in many environments, providing anti-submarine warfare capabilities, such as low acoustic signature and low noise electrical drive.

The vessels will be equipped with hybrid propulsion technology. At low speeds, they will run on an electric drive system, while at high speeds, they will take power from internal combustion engines. Machinery configuration also provides the ship’s survivability performances since 50% of propulsion power and 50% of electrical power are available even with two adjacent compartments flooded.

“We are very committed to this high-profile collaboration with Onex for the creation of a strategic hub in the naval and maritime sector in the East Mediterranean. Fincantieri is the only international group with a well-proven building strategy of state-of-the-art ships which has already been implemented with success in other countries, above all in the US. We firmly believe that the transfer of technology will be a multiplier for Greece, both in terms of economic return and job creation for our local partner,” Dario Deste, General Manager Naval Vessels Division of Fincantieri said.

“This is an important day for the Greek Shipyards, the Greek Navy and our country. Through the partnership between ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group and the Italian Fincantieri, we ensure Greece’s geopolitical advantage in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region,” ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group President & CEO Panos Xenokostas noted.

Fincantieri signed an official agreement with ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group last December for the creation of a corvettes manufacturing line & their life-cycle support base, that will be located at Onex Naval and Maritime Elefsis Shipyards. 

The agreement covers the terms of collaboration for the construction of 2+1 corvettes at Onex Elefsis Shipyards along with the necessary upgrades, transfer of technology, and equipment, which are estimated at approximately €80 million.

The new corvettes manufacturing line and their life-cycle support base will engage several Greek companies to the project.