The European Investment Bank is the lending arm of the European Union. It is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world.
With an innovative operation at European level, a loan of 220 million was finalized between the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Defense, in fact, aimed at the construction of three ships that they will be used by the Hydrographic Institute of the Italian Navy in Genoa.
Italian MoD
The project calls for the construction of a large ship and two smaller ones: they will replace those currently in operation (Magnaghi, Aretusa and Galatea), which have reached or will soon reach the end of their operational life.
The three ships will carry out hydrographic missions: research on the climate in the marine environment and navigation safety thanks to the mapping of the seabed necessary for the production of official nautical charts of Italian waters.
Of the three ships, the largest on will be used mainly for hydrographic and oceanographic research in the Mediterranean and the oceans but also in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The two smaller ones will be destined to operate essentially in the Mediterranean Sea. The construction of the three units will take place in the period 2021-2027.
The Italian Navy’s Hydrographic Institute cooperates with major national and international research bodies. Each year it deploys about 200 military personnel specializing in Hydrography and Oceanography, aboard hydrographic units equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation.
