On March 12, 2021, the logistic support ship LSS «Vulcano», ordered to Fincantieri within the renewal plan of the Italian Navy’s fleet, was delivered by the Naval Integrated shipyard in Muggiano.
The multi-year program for the renewal of the Italian Navy’s fleet foresees the construction, besides the LSS, of the transport and landing unit LHD (or Landing Helicopter Dock) «Trieste» – under construction in this same shipyard with delivery in 2022 – as well as seven Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ships (PPA), which will enter the fleet starting this year.
The fundamental characteristic common to all three classes of ships is their high level of innovation providing them with a considerable degree of efficiency and flexibility in serving different mission profiles. In particular, these are dual use vessels, meaning that they may be used for both standard military purposes and those in favor of the community (as for example for civil protection), and they also have a low environmental impact thanks to a state-of-the-art auxiliary propulsion system generating a low level of pollution emissions (electric engines).
The project of «Vulcano» underlies the FLOTLOG («Flotte Logistique») program, consisting in the construction of four LSS destined to the French Navy, by the temporary consortium between Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Naval Group under the Italian-French LSS Program led by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation). The construction of the forward sections of these ships has been commissioned to Fincantieri, which last month has laid the keel of the first vessel at its shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples).
The vessel «Vulcano» is classified by RINA pursuant international conventions about prevention of pollution regarding the more traditional aspects, like the ones of the MARPOL Convention, as well as those not yet mandatory, as the Hong Kong Convention about ship recycling.
Vessel’s characteristics – LSS – Logistic Support Ship
The LSS is a vessel that provides logistics support to the fleet, endowed with hospital and healthcare capabilities thanks to the presence of a fully equipped hospital, complete with operating rooms, radiology and analysis rooms, a dentist’s office and hospital rooms that will be capable of hosting up to 17 seriously injured patients. The ship combines capacity to transport and transfer to other transport vessels used for liquids (diesel fuel, jet fuel, fresh water) and solids (emergency spare parts, food and ammunitions) and to perform at sea repairs and maintenance work for other vessels. The defense systems are related to the capacity of command and control in tactical scenarios, communications and dissuasive, non-lethal defense systems. The vessel is also capable of embarking more complex defence systems and becoming an intelligence and electronic war platform.
- 193 meters/633 feet long
- speed of about 20 knots/23 mph/37 km/h
- 235 persons including crew and specialists
- 4 replenishment station abeam and 1 astern
- Capacity to supply drinking water to land
- Capacity to provide electricity to land with 2500 kw of power
- Possibility of embarking up to 8 residential and healthcare modules
- Capacity to perform rescues at sea, through recovery and seabed operations (the ship is equipped with a 30 tons offshore stabilized crane stabilized)
- base for rescue operations through helicopters and special vessels
