The CEO of T.Mariotti: “We want to continue to support the Navy in these projects. We want to do it in Genoa if the authorities will help us by allowing us to have more space”. The president Bisagno: “Before the end of the year we could build another unit”
Genoa – Launched in Genoa the ship Olterra, the new unit for the Navy for submarine rescue, special underwater operations and protection of critical underwater infrastructures in the Mediterranean. A technological and super-specialized unit, the ship is the first unit of the Navy’s Sdo-Surs (Special and diving operations – submarine rescue ship) program and for the Genoese shipyard T.Mariotti, which is among the leaders in the design and construction of extra-luxury cruise ships, it is the first project in the military field, a new sector just begun to be consolidated.
“We want to continue to support the Navy in these types of projects. We want to do it in Genoa if the authorities will support us and allow us to have more areas,” says Marco Ghiglione, CEO of T.Mariotti, returning to the issue of space which in the Genoa ship repair area is too tight. Nave Olterra will be the first to be delivered, in 2027, but in T.Mariotti’s portfolio there are two other small units for the Navy (under construction in the Piombino shipyard), two auxiliary ships for coastal transport and lighthouse assistance. And the goal is to get more orders in this sector, which runs alongside the “traditional” one of extra-luxury cruise ships in which the Genoese company has two units under construction, one for Aman, another for a still “mysterious” shipowner, and the ongoing project for the Ispra oceanographic ship.
“I hope there will be other ships for the Navy. We are looking at other projects. And I hope that before the end of the year we can build another ship,” says Marco Bisagno, president of T.Mariotti, from the stage, after having underlined the pride for this construction and having said that entering the military sector was a goal pursued for years.
A new milestone for the shipyard. “In a few years T.Mariotti will celebrate one hundred years, it was born in 1928. We are the first operator to enter the luxury market in the Nineties. Then we started building for all the players. Today, in addition to Olterra, we are building the most luxurious ship in the world, which you will see arriving in Genoa (commissioned by Aman) and it will make history, because it will indeed be the most luxurious in the world. This means that we are used to raising the bar. And Olterra is a ship of incredible complexity, the highest world example under construction for the underwater world” Ghiglione recounts.
128 meters long, 24 meters wide, highly specialized and equipped with a system of technologies that allow it to operate with maximum precision even in adverse sea weather conditions, it can host up to 200 people on board between crew and operators. Laid down in April 2023 in San Giorgio di Nogaro and transferred to Genoa in September 2024 for final outfitting, it will continue work and trials until delivery, scheduled for 2027. Equipped with a flight deck where helicopters can land, a hospital, it will have highly technological systems installed on board by Leonardo.
Among other things, it will be able to autonomously conduct the search, identification, rescue, and salvage operations for the crew of a submarine in distress down to 600 meters, provide support for the underwater activities of the Navy and for underwater activities organized in the civilian sphere, provide rescue and specialized medical assistance to civilian and military personnel affected by pathologies related to underwater activity, and ensure the role of a support unit for the operations of underwater units.
From the outside it looks finished, but there is still a lot of work to do. Today’s ceremony marked the first step, with the traditional bottle broken on the bow, the blessing, and the ritual speeches with the representatives of the Navy lined up on the dock. An emotional video animated the ship’s side, with images of the port, the tricolor flag, the shipyard. Finally, a gala dinner and a concert concluded the celebrations. In addition to representatives of the Navy, the top management of T.Mariotti and Genova industrie navali (the holding company that controls the shipyard with San Giorgio del porto, Chantier de Marseille and Piombino industria navali) the event was also attended by the President of the Liguria Region Marco Bucci and the Mayor of Genoa Silvia Salis.
A curiosity: the ship’s motto is “Per Atra Aequora Fulgor”, to evoke light even in the depths of the sea. Nave Olterra will replace Nave Anteo in the Navy fleet, which has reached forty years of service.
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