Italian Navy Launches New Hydro-Oceanographic Research Ship

The Italian Navy has launched its new Major Hydro-Oceanographic Ship Quirinale at Fincantieri’s integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso.

Designed to support the Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute, the Quirinale will conduct hydrographic, oceanographic and geophysical surveys linked to maritime safety and security. The institute acts as Italy’s State Cartographic Authority and produces official national nautical documentation.

The vessel is about 110 metres long, displaces around 6,000 tonnes and can accommodate up to 140 people, including crew and scientific staff. It uses diesel-electric propulsion with reduced emissions and is suitable for operations in environmentally sensitive areas. The ship is designed to operate in temperatures down to minus 16 degrees Celsius.

The Quirinale is fitted with scientific survey equipment, lifting systems for research operations and a DP2 dynamic positioning system for precision station-keeping. It can deploy an autonomous underwater vehicle and an unmanned surface vehicle for seabed mapping and ocean monitoring tasks.