The second MCMV minehunter for the Finnish Navy was launched on 26 August 2010 at the Intermarine shipyard in Sarzana, accompanied by an impressive ceremony.
The launching ceremony was attended by the commander in chief of the Finnish Navy, Admiral Juha Rannikko, the minister counsellor of the Finnish embassy in Rome, Ari Maki, the head of division of the City of Helsinki, Hannu Hakala, and representing the commander in chief of the Italian Navy, Admiral Guido Rando. The ceremony was also attended by Roberto Colaninno, president of Immsi, the group that controls Intermarine – Rodriquez Cantieri Navali. The minehunter was launched by Ms Mervi Rannikko, the wife of the commander in chief of the Finnish Navy.
The ‘MCMV 2010 Class’ vessel (52.4m length overall, maximal speed in excess of 13kn, 34 crew members) was launched just one year after the launch of the first vessel built by Intermarine for the Finnish Navy, and is one of the most advanced minehunters in the world. It is a kind of vessel in which Intermarine is a leading company, having already built other 38 mine countermeasures vessels for the navies of seven different countries, including Italy, the US and Australia.
The three vessels built for the Finnish Navy are the result of a long fine-tuning and customisation process aimed at suiting the project to the client’s specific needs. Just like for its sister-ships, the operating capacities of the vessel launched in Sarzana are in line with the specific requirements of the Finnish Navy, such as its capacity to navigate in ice-covered waters or the configuration of the ‘mission system’, a completely innovative system when compared to other mine countermeasures vessels.
Indeed, the vessel has also been conceived for taking part in international missions, where the highest standards are required for communicating and interacting with other vessels cooperating within the designated tactical mission, as well as for hydrographic operations.
This new class of vessels built by Intermarine includes many innovative technological features, ranging from the use of a new kind of fibreglass for the hull to the building of superstructures by using the ‘vacuum infusion’ technique. The latter has allowed an increase in the mechanical properties of the composite material, for better product quality and, above all, it has optimised the work environment, eliminating the risk of noxious emissions.
Intermarine has already built 38 mine countermeasures vessels (whether directly or through licences granted to foreign partners) for seven navies in eight different configurations (with different propulsion systems and mission equipment). The two vessels launched on 26 August 2010 and in summer 2009 bring this number to 40 overall.