During an official ceremony at the Intermarine Yard in Sarzana, the launching of the Di Bartolo Class ‘G6 Barbarisi’ and ‘G7 Paolini’ fast patrol boats has taken place.
The ceremony was presided over by General Roberto Speciale, Commander of the Italian Custom Police; the Assistant Chief of Staff, General B. Paolo Poletti; the President of IMMSI Group, Roberto Colaninno; the Managing Director of the Rodriquez Group, Marco Ragazzini; the Director of Intermarine, Edoardo Cossutta; the main political and military authorities; and the two ladies who launched the ships, Mrs. Maria Antonietta Attanasio and Mrs. Elisa Paolini.
The launched ships are the last two units of 35m built by Intermarine for the Italian Custom Police in the contract for the supply of five fast patrol vessels Class Di Bartolo. They will strengthen the already substantial naval workforce of the Italian Custom Police, and will be used to patrol the coast and to control illegitimate and clandestine activities.
Like the three twin ships already in service since 2004, they represent the natural evolution of the two prototypes carried out by Intermarine in 1998 and used for training purposes.
They are constructed of composite material: the hull and bulkheads are reinforced fibreglass, while the main deck and superstructure are in a sandwich with a core of PVC. Such construction has ensured remarkable sturdiness, of fundamental importance for the safety of crews and the efficiency of the installed equipment.
The ships are 35m long and 7.55m wide, and the propulsion is ensured by two four-stroke diesel motors with direct injection. These motors, which deliver 5120kW at 2100rpm, are connected, through a V-drive transmission, with two fixed-pitch propellers with five blades. By such propulsion, these vessels can reach high performance, with a maximum speed of 35 knots.