Fincantieri cuts steel for bow of Italian Navy ship

TRIESTE, Italy, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has cut steel for the bow section of a new logistics support ship for the Italian Navy.

The steel cutting took place Tuesday with a ceremony at a company facility in Castellammare di Stabia.

The bow section of the vessel will be about 308 feet long, 78.7 feet wide and 53.4 feet high. Following its construction, it will be transported by sea to another Fincantieri shipyard for assembly to other parts of the ship.

Construction of the stern section of the ship took place earlier this month at a shipyard near Genoa, the company said.

The LSS features a medical facility, the capability to transport and transfer fuel and water and other supplies to other ships, and to provide at sea repairs and maintenance work for other vessels.

The vessel is also capable of embarking more complex defense systems and becoming an intelligence and electronic warfare platform, Fincantieri said.

The ship is expected to be completed and delivered to the Italian Navy in 2019.