The launching ceremony of the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship (PPA) “Francesco Morosini” took place today at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso Shipyard (Cantiere navale di Riva Trigoso), in the presence of the Chief of the Staff of the Italian Navy (Marina Militare) Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.
The PPA Francesco Morosini, second of seven units, is set to be commissioned in March 2022. It is part of the renewal plan of the Italian Navy fleet, approved by the Government and Parliament and started in May 2015 (“Naval Law”).
The Francesco Morosini was due to hit the water at the end of March but Fincantieri had to postpone the launch because of the Coronavirus crisis (during which the company stopped production at all its shipyards). A Fincantieri spokesperson said at the beginning of the month that the launch was set to take place in June. Regarding the third (Raimondo Montecuccoli) and fourth PPAs, Fincantieri ensured that production is “perfectly on time” and no delay is expected. All production sites re-opened from April 20.
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