T. Mariotti shipyard won the tender for the new special & diving operations, submarine rescue vessel for the Italian Navy (SDO-SuRS)
Genoa, 7 June 2021 – The T. Mariotti historic shipyard, part of the Genova Industrie Navali Group, has won the tender announced by the Italian Naval Armaments Directorate of the General Secretariat of Defense and National Armaments Directorate for the construction of a naval vessel for the support of underwater operations, special operations, and personnel rescue of distressed submarines for the Italian Navy.
The new unit will be equipped with advanced systems for diving and underwater exploration almost unique in the international panorama, performing the essential function of submarine rescue, consistent with the ongoing modernization of the Italian Navy’s underwater fleet, but also capable of ensuring fundamental support to the Navy. This unit, together with the new U212NFS submarines, will significantly contribute to the surveillance and control of critical underwater infrastructures, all in the broader context of what is nowadays defined as Maritime Security, also in a dual perspective.
The signing of the contract is expected by the summer and the new ship construction will engage the shipyard and local companies for four years, creating a considerable workload for the Ligurian realities, both in terms of employment and supply of new products and services, starting from the design phase scheduled for next autumn. The first steel cutting is scheduled by the end of 2022.
The ship will be equipped, among other things, with an advanced command and control system, modern assets for search and rescue operations of national or allied submarines, a helicopters’ flight deck, and a complex integrated deep diving system including moon pool. The unit will also be fitted with medical first aid and surgical facilities capable of providing assistance in disaster relief operations, in support of other State Ministries.
Leonardo is involved in the project as supplier of command and control systems, while two companies from La Spezia, Carlo Agnese and Exa Engineering, are tasked for the restructuring of the logistic infrastructures that will house the hyperbaric simulator, a valuable technological asset for training and an integral part of the programme supply, which will be located at the La Spezia military arsenal.
These versatile operational capabilities can obviously be made available to other administrations/entities for non-military purposes and for the benefit of the community, such as, for example, scientific research in all sectors and the investigation and recovery of artifacts found on high seabed.
Unofficial translation by EDR On-Line
Image courtesy T. Mariotti
