Last frigate of FREMM Emilio Bianchi launched

April 25, a nice place for the frigate launch ceremony Emilio Bianchi, the last of the series 10 FREMM units (European Multi Mission Frigates) ordered by the Italian Marina Militarye. The event took place at Fincantieri Riva Trigoso shipyard. The FREMM programme, implemented under Italian-French cooperation, is coordinated by OCCAR, an organisation responsible for European cooperation in the field of arms.

The godmother of the frigate was Maria Elisabetta Bianchi, daughter of Emilio Bianchi, a war hero decorated with a gold medal. The ceremony was held in the presence of many high-ranking representatives, including the chief of staff of the Italian Navy, Admiral Enrico Credino, and the president of Fincantieri, General Claudio Graziano. The event was also attended by representatives of state and military authorities, which underlines the importance of this moment for the Italian fleet.

Fregata Emilio Bianchi After launching, further equipment will be provided at the Muggiano shipyard in La Spezia, and its entry into service is planned for 2025. The ship is 144 metres long, 19.7 metres wide, total displacement about 6700 tonnes and speed over 27 knots. The crew will consist of 199 sailors including officers.

Let us recall that at the turn of 2021/22, after consulting Egypt, Fincantieri decided to sell frigates of the same name, Emilio Bianchi and Spartacus Schergat. The contract amounted to EUR 1.2 billion. For this reason, the Italians are currently building two frigates with slightly different abilities. Egypt received multi-tasking frigates, while the currently built frigates are designed to combat submarines (ZOPs). At present, Egypt's EQBM Maritime Forces have three FREMM-type frigates in their fleet, one from France and two from Italy.

A similar practice was applied to PPA patrol frigates, selling two of them to Indonesia. The agreement, signed in March 2024, amounted to EUR 1.18 billion. Both units, which was originally to go to Marina Militare, are now being built and equipped with the Fincantieri shipyard in Riva Trigoso-Muggiano .

In the United States, the FREMM platform was selected as the basis for construction Constellation frigate. Americans, after having problems with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), decided to take advantage of a proven European project, which provides them with modern and reliable units on the modern battlefield.

This shows that the French and Italians have adopted a strategy to sell their ships built for native fleets to wealthy customers from Arab countries and the region of East Asia. This approach allows to quickly meet the needs of customers who expect immediate deliveries, which is difficult for other shipyards building such units from scratch.

The purchase of a finished project, as with the construction of a frigate Swordfish for the Polish Navy on the Arrowhead 140 platform, brings considerable time and financial savings. The completed project can be easily adapted to the specific requirements of the country, which significantly speeds up the construction and entry of ships into service.

Written by Mariusz Dasiewicz