Italy Launches First Next-Generation OPV Offshore Patrol Vessel for Italian Navy Modernization.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has launched Ugolino Vivaldi, the first of four next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Italian Navy. The 95-meter ship is designed to expand Italy’s maritime surveillance and enforcement capacity in its exclusive economic zone while modernizing its lower-tier surface fleet.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has launched Ugolino Vivaldi, the first of four next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessels ordered by the Italian Navy, marking a key step in Rome’s effort to modernize its lower-tier surface fleet. The 95-meter patrol ship is optimized for persistent maritime surveillance, exclusive economic zone protection, and sea line security missions across the Mediterranean, while incorporating advanced automation and digital command architecture adapted from Italy’s frontline combatants. Designed as a combat-ready platform rather than a constabulary cutter, the vessel is expected to support both national operations and NATO tasking, reflecting Italy’s growing focus on sustained presence in contested maritime approaches.
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Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launches the first next-generation Offshore Patrol Vessel Ugolino Vivaldi at its Riva Trigoso shipyard on February 21, 2026, marking a major step in strengthening the Italian Navy’s maritime surveillance and EEZ protection capabilities. (Picture source: Fincantieri)

The launch ceremony took place on February 21, 2026, at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso shipyard. The vessel is being built under a program assigned to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, the joint venture between Fincantieri (51 percent) and Leonardo (49 percent), under contract from the Naval Armaments Directorate within Italy’s National Armaments Directorate. Senior representatives from the Italian Navy, regional authorities, and industry leadership attended the event, underscoring the program’s institutional and industrial significance.

Measuring approximately 95 meters in length, with a displacement of around 2,400 tons and accommodation for 93 crew members, Ugolino Vivaldi is engineered to deliver high-end patrol capabilities on a compact, efficient platform. The vessel is optimized for maritime domain awareness missions, merchant traffic monitoring, protection of strategic communication lines, and enforcement operations within Italy’s EEZ. It is also designed to support counter-pollution operations, including response to toxic liquid spills, reflecting Italy’s dual requirement for security and environmental protection in heavily trafficked waters.

A central innovation of the class is the integrated naval cockpit system, originally developed for the Italian Navy’s PPA multi-purpose combat ships. Designed through collaboration between Fincantieri NexTech and Leonardo, the cockpit consolidates propulsion control, steering, platform management, and selected combat system functions into a unified command station. Engines, rudders, and core onboard systems can be managed by just two operators, pilot and co-pilot, significantly reducing crew workload while improving reaction speed and navigational safety.

This level of automation represents a generational advancement in Italian naval ship design. By reducing the number of personnel required for ship handling and platform supervision, the OPV improves operational sustainability and lowers long-term workforce costs. At the same time, the preserved crew capacity allows flexibility for boarding teams, maritime interdiction operations, and crisis-response missions.

Although detailed weapon configurations have not been publicly disclosed, the OPV is expected to integrate scalable combat system components consistent with Italy’s network-centric naval doctrine. This would enable the vessel to operate as part of a distributed maritime task group, sharing sensor and tactical data with frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and NATO command structures. In operational terms, this transforms the OPV from a traditional constabulary platform into a digitally connected surveillance and enforcement node.

Strategically, the program addresses a structural fleet requirement. Italy faces increasing operational demands in the central Mediterranean, including protection of subsea infrastructure, energy corridors, and high-density commercial shipping routes. By introducing modern patrol vessels with enhanced endurance and digital integration, the Navy can assign high-end frigates and destroyers to deterrence patrols and NATO commitments rather than routine presence missions.

For Fincantieri, the program reinforces its position within the global patrol vessel market through its FCX product family, which emphasizes modularity, export adaptability, and integrated combat systems. The OPV design reflects lessons learned from larger combatant programs while maintaining cost-efficiency suitable for sustained patrol operations. The industrial framework through Orizzonte Sistemi Navali also strengthens synergy between hull construction and combat system integration, consolidating Italy’s naval industrial base amid intensifying European and global competition.

The launch of Ugolino Vivaldi therefore marks not only a production milestone for Fincantieri but a broader step in reshaping Italy’s maritime security architecture. As the remaining three units progress through construction, the program will play a critical role in balancing operational presence, fiscal sustainability, and alliance interoperability in an increasingly contested Mediterranean security environment.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.