The launching ceremony of the “Emilio Bianchi” frigate took place yesterday at the integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso, the last of a series of 10 FREMM units – European Multi Mission Frigates, commissioned to Fincantieri by the Italian Navy as part of the The Italian-French international cooperation agreement, with the coordination of OCCAR, the joint organization for European cooperation in the field of armaments.
Godmother of the launch was Mrs. Maria Elisabetta Bianchi, daughter of the Gold Medal for Military Valor Emilio Bianchi.
The ceremony was held in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Team Admiral Enrico Credendino, welcomed by the President of Fincantieri, General Claudio Graziano, and by the General Director of the Fincantieri Military Ships Division, Dario Deste. Also participating, among others, were the President of the Regional Council, Gianmarco Medusei, the Director of the Joint Organization for Armaments Cooperation (OCCAR), Joachim Sucker, and the civil and military authorities.
Following the launch, the unit will continue construction activities at the Muggiano shipyard, in La Spezia, and will be delivered in the summer of 2025. The “Emilio Bianchi” ship will be characterized, like the other FREMMs, by high flexibility of use and will have the ability to operate in all tactical situations. It has a length of 144 metres, a width of 19.7 meters and a full load displacement of around 6,700 tonnes and will be able to reach a speed of over 27 knots with a maximum capacity of around 200 people on board.
In the naval defense sector, FREMM – Multi Mission European Frigate is the most important joint initiative developed between European industries. The FREMM program, which represents the state of the art of Italian and European defense, was born from the need to renew the line of Navy units, including the “Lupo” and “Maestrale” classes, built by Fincantieri in the Seventies and Eighty.
In 2012 Carlo Bergamini was delivered, in 2013 Virginio Fasan , in 2014 Carlo Margottini , in 2015 Carabiniere , in 2016 Alpino , in 2017 Luigi Rizzo , in 2018 Federico Martinengo , in 2019 Antonio Marceglia and in November 2023 the Spartaco Schergat was launched. in the advanced preparation phase at the integrated shipyard’s factories and whose delivery is scheduled for April 2025 .
