Italian Navy's Vulcano Logistic Support Ship Starts Sea Trials

This step of the programme is a key contractual milestone towards the delivery of the ship to the Italian Navy (FOAR), scheduled for September 2020.

During the First Sea Going (FSG), several Platform and Combat Systems installed onboard have been tested, especially the propulsion, steering and navigation systems.

Vulcano A5335 starts sea trials. OCCAR picture by Giorgio Arra.

Only four years and a half have elapsed since the signature of the LSS contract in May 2015 and the FSG. This is a great achievement for OCCAR as contracting authority, given the exceptional challenges to finalize, under extreme time constraints, the reconstruction works of the aft part of the ship, after her launch in June 2018. The LSS “Vulcano” FSG bears witness of the success brought by the combined efforts of OCCAR, Italy as Participating State and Industry.

The “Vulcano” is expected to complete her sea trials by September 2020 and to be delivered to the Italian Navy that same month.

With France joining in January 2019, four more Logistic Support Ships will follow the path of their elder sister “Vulcano”, being the first delivery expected by the end of 2022.

About Vulcano LSS

Four BRF Fleet Replenishment Tankers Ordered for the French Navy2 — The BRFs ordered for the French Navy will be based on the design of the LSS Vulcano ordered for the Italian Navy. Chantiers de l’Atlantique image.

According to Fincantieri, 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 limited 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 long
speed of about 20 knots
200 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 an 30 tons offshore stabilized crane stabilized)
base for rescue operations through helicopters and special vessels