A Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 5009, chartered by the Royal Netherlands Navy in April 2025 for CUI monitoring, similar to Italy’s requirements. (Damen)

The Italian Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Directorate of Naval Armaments is seeking an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to help it monitor and protect critical undersea infrastructure (CUI).

A preliminary market consultation published by the directorate in July described the need for “protection of critical underwater infrastructure” through a “baseline offshore supply vessel”. The contract value was estimated at EUR50 million (USD58 million).

The consultation outlines the need to “acquire a suitable naval unit from the used market for subsequent use as a Multipurpose Underwater Surveillance Unit (Unità Polivalente per la Sorveglianza della Dimensione Subacquea: UPSDS)”.

The OSV’s primary purpose is transporting and deploying unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), whether autonomous or remotely piloted. The consultation stipulates that the OSV must be “highly flexible and rapidly reconfigurable” and built within the last 10 years.

The Italian MoD wants the OSV ready for delivery to the Italian Navy by the end of February 2026, or within 120 days from the start of the contract. Among other requirements, expected maintenance, upgrade, and modification work must be carried out in Italy by the supplier.

Mandatory requirements for the vessel include a precision dynamic positioning system, a working deck suitable for housing submarine rescue assets, a working deck of at least 2,560 m2, a crane capable of lifting 40 tonnes with at least 500 m of cable, a beam of between 18 and 22 m, a draught of less than 7 m, an overall length of between 75 and 110 m, and a range of 4,000 n miles at 11 kt.

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