On September 6, at the Riva Trigoso shipyard, near Genoa, Fincantieri held a ceremony marking the laying of the keel of the frigate Luigi Rizzo, the sixth ship of the FREMM programme.

This event continues the construction of the European multi-mission frigates, which remains to date the most important joint initiative between European industries in the field of naval defence. The vessel, which will be delivered in early 2017, will be about 144 meters long, 19.7 metres wide, and will have a full load displacement of about 6,700 tonnes. She will be able to reach a top speed of over 27 knots, and will accommodate up to 200 people.

The ship will be characterised by a high operational flexibility, and will have the ability to operate in multiple scenarios, particularly to maintain the security of the Mediterranean basin.

The ships of the FREMM programme will represent the authority of the Italian state and of the European Union in the Mediterranean, and will replace the Italian Navy’s Lupo and Maestrale class frigates, built by Fincantieri in the 1970s.

The initiative involves the participation as prime contractor for Italy of Horizon Sistemi Navali (51 per cent Fincantieri, Finmeccanica 49 per cent) and for France of Armaris (DCNS + Thales).

This cooperative programme has built on the positive experience of the previous French-Italian programme “Horizon” that led to the creation of two destroyers for the Italian Navy, the Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio.