''Vulcano'' is an

auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxil ...

that entered service with the Italian Navy on 12 March 2021. She is designed to support fleet operations with fuel and dry stores. Along with another future sister ship, she is expected to replace the replenishment oilers (AORs). ''Vulcano'' was financed under the 2014 Naval Law, for

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

346 million, then increased to €374.6 million, when the length was extended by . A second vessel was ordered in January 2022 for projected delivery in 2025. The Navy also has an option for a third ship of the class. The

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

through

OCCAR The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (French: ''Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'ARmement''; OCCAR) is a European intergovernmental organisation that facilitates and manages collaborative armament programmes throug ...

ordered three modified ships of the class to replace its s to be delivered in 2023, 2025 and 2027. A potential fourth ship of the class is projected for service entry after 2030. The program is known as the ''

Bâtiment ravitailleur de forces The bâtiments ravitailleurs de forces, or BRF, are a class of future fleet tankers that are to replace the units in French Navy service. Until January 2019, the programme was known as ''Flotte logistique'' (abbreviated FLOTLOG in military parl ...

'' (BRF). France officially joined the program in October 2018. The French BRF ships are longer at and 31,000 tons full load

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics * Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

compared to 27,200 tons, reflecting the French fleet's greater need for aviation fuel.

Design and construction

''Vulcano'' was built by

Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

hull number Hull number is a serial identification number given to a boat or ship. For the military, a lower number implies an older vessel. For civilian use, the HIN is used to trace the boat's history. The precise usage varies by country and type. United ...

6259. The stern section was built at the Riva Trigoso Naval Shipyard and the bow section is being built at the Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) Naval Shipyard. On the night of 22/23 July 2018, a fire broke out on the ship's stern superstructure. ''Vulcano'' is designed as a support ship able to supply a large naval squadron at sea. She was commissioned in March 2021. A second ship of the class, ''Jacques Chevallier'' for the French Navy, began sea trials in December 2022. Steel was cut on a second ship for the French Navy in February 2022 and on a second ship for the Italian Navy in July 2022. The ships have the capability to: * refuel ships * produce fresh water * carry cargo * Hospital

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Role 2 LM * conduct repairs at sea with integrated maintenance workshops She has a cargo capacity of up to 15,500 t, of which, "at least": * (+9,000 m3) of NATO F76 diesel fuel * (+4,000 m3) of NATO F44/JP5 aviation fuel * of fresh water * of ammunitions * of meals (30,000 food rations) * 3 m3 of gasoline in barrels * of lubricant in barrels * of solid goods * up to 8 x ISO1C standard containers, each one

Ships of the class

''Italics'' indicate the estimated date

References

External links

Ships
Marina Militare website Auxiliary ships of the Italian Navy Auxiliary replenishment ship classes Proposed ships Ships built by Fincantieri {{Italy-mil-stub de:Vulcano-Klasse