First Italian PPA departs on maiden deployment

The Italian Navy's first PPA, ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel , has embarked on its maiden deployment. During the four-month mission the PPA will participate in international exercises in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean. (Italian Navy)

The first of the Italian Navy's new class of multirole offshore patrol ships (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA), ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel (P 430), has set sail for its maiden deployment.

Paolo Thaon di Revel , the newest addition to the Italian Navy's fleet, departed from La Spezia on 12 August under the command of Commander Emanuele Morea, an Italian Navy official confirmed to Janes .

The four-month deployment will extend through the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and on to the Indian Ocean, the official said.

After crossing the Suez Canal, Paolo Thaon di Revel will provide associated support to the multinational Combined Maritime Force's Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153) during its transit through the Red Sea. In the Indian Ocean the PPA will then participate in the European-led Operation ‘Atalanta' and the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) mission Operation ‘Agenor'. Paolo Thaon di Reve l will also assist in providing security assistance during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar between 20 November and 18 December 2022.

Laid down in May 2017 and delivered on 18 March 2022, Paolo Thaon di Revel is the first of seven PPAs being built by the Fincantieri shipbuilding group as part of the Italian Navy's fleet renewal plan.