January 22, 2019 | International, Naval
Italy prepares to launch submarine rescue vessel programme
The Italian Ministry of Defence's Naval Armament Directorate is gearing up to launch its acquisition programme for a new multirole submarine rescue vessel by mid-2019. The Special and Diving Operations - Submarine Rescue Ship (SDO-SuRS), for which EUR424 million (USD481.7 million) has been earmarked from 2018, is intended to replace the ageing salvage ship, Anteo . Jane's understands that the vessel will have a modular design in order to carry out its three main tasks of submarine rescue in addition to supporting special forces and diving operations carried out by the Italian Navy's Comando Subacquei ed Incursori (COMSUBIN) special forces and divers command. Basic specifications include a full-load displacement of about 8,500 tonnes, an overall length of 120 m, and a 20 m beam. The ship will be powered by an integrated full-electric propulsion system (IFEP) - using two azimuthal propulsion pods and two bow-mounted thrusters - able to achieve a maximum speed of 15 kt. Full article: https://www.janes.com/article/85856/italy-prepares-to-launch-submarine-rescue-vessel-programme