The Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri announced in a press release that it has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia, for the supply of 6 FREMM class frigates, the modernization and sale of 2 Maestrale class frigates, and the related logistical support.
The order represents a success for Fincantieri and for the Country, which has a fleet of 10 FREMM ships. The agreement is of the utmost importance to strengthen the collaboration between two Countries in a strategic area of the Pacific.
Fincantieri will be prime contractor for the entire program. The construction of the frigates will ensure significant employment benefits not only for several Italian shipyards of the Group in the next years, but also for other companies in the sector, namely Leonardo, as well as numerous small and medium-sized national companies, and will see the collaboration of the local PT-PAL shipyard (Java island). The modernization of the two Maestrale class vessels, which Fincantieri will acquire from the Italian Navy once decommissioned, will also be carried out in Italy.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, commented: “The acquisition of an order of this magnitude allows Fincantieri to also assume global leadership in the surface ships sector, and is the confirmation of the technological leadership of a project once again considered the most innovative on the market which led to 20 ships for several foreign Navies, between orders and options.
This program has an extraordinary strategic importance, both for the economic return for our Country and for the Italian defense supply chain, and because it ensures Fincantieri’s strong positioning in the area, paving the way for the finalization of further important negotiations for other programs already in progress also in the civil sector”. Bono concluded: “Finally, I want to acknowledge our Navy, which has made a decisive contribution to building together with the Country’s industry a ship that is appreciated all over the world and which fully satisfies its operational needs”.
