After the failure of the procedure launched last June 2022 , Vigili Del Fuoco (Italian Fire Service) is now trying again to find a shipyard capable of ensuring the supply of a new class of ‘medium’ size fireboats. It does so after reviewing the tender, in particular after increasing both the number of units requested and the unit budget available.
Fireboats VF M 01 and VF 1094 based at Augusta, Sicily – 01.02.2017
Briefly, the new tender provides for the initial supply of 8 units (compared to 4 in the previous procedure), allocating for this purpose a total base amount of 44 million euro (or 5.5 per ship, against of the 4 available in the previous procedure. Also in this case, however, there is an option for the purchase of further units at the same price conditions as the previous ones, precisely for a maximum of 7 additional vessels (and therefore in a total supply, in the event of its exercise, of 15 vessels , as in the previous tender), with a total budget for this purpose of 38.5 million. The deadline for submitting bids is July 22nd.
Fireboats VF M 04 slipped at Augusta, Sicily – 27.04.2019
In the absence of full tender documentation, few other details are currently known. The public notice only clarifies that the supply must concern multifunctional fire-fighting naval units, with an aluminum hull, to be used for the sea rescue needs of the Fire Brigade. However, it is probable that the body intends to stick to the characteristics already defined in the previous procedure, which indicated that the new vessels will have to be smaller than its ‘larger’ units (classes M and 1100, with an overall length of 28 metres), but at the same time be able to offer water performance superior to those of these ( which have a maximum pumping of 20,000 liters per minute).
Fireboats VF M 05 slipped at Mazara Del Vallo, Sicily – 10.04.2014
The new fireboats must also be able to reach a speed at full load higher than that of the ‘small’ units – 30 knots.
Both the above and the timeline image is of the Fireboat VF M 06 leaving Palermo Port, Sicily – 02.10.2014
