OSN delivers FREMM frigate Spartaco Schergat to Italian Navy
Peter Felstead
The FREMM frigate Spartaco Schergat was delivered to the Italian Navy at Fincantieri’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard on 15 April 2025.
The ship is the ninth of 10 FREMM vessels contracted to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture owned by Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), by the European Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) on behalf of the Italian Navy.
France’s Naval Group (originally DCNS), meanwhile, has built eight FREMM frigates for the French Navy.
FREMM stands for Frégate Européenne Multi-Mission/Fregata Europea Multi-Missione, or ‘European Multi-Mission Frigate’.
The FREMM programme was launched in 2005, with the first ship delivered in July 2012 and commissioned in November of that year (the French frigate Aquitaine). For the Italian Navy the programme originally covered the supply of 10 frigates: six general-purpose frigates and four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates. However, the last two being built were sold to Egypt (including the original Spartaco Schergat) and replaced by two new enhanced general-purpose/ASW frigates, while in July 2024 Italy ordered another two FREMMs in a new Evolution design. These 11th and 12th Italian FREMM frigates, known as FREMM Evo variants, are currently under construction at the Fincantieri Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano, with deliveries scheduled for 2029 and 2030.
Italy’s FREMM frigates are 144 m long with a beam of 19.7 m and have a full-load displacement of around 6,700 tonnes. They can reach a speed of over 27 kts (50 km/h) and accommodate up to 200 people on board.
Spartaco Schergat, the first of the two units in the enhanced general-purpose/ASW configuration, is optimised as a multi-role vessel, incorporating systems typical of both the general-purpose version – allowing a balanced contribution across all combat domains – and the ASW version, with enhanced ASW capabilities for sea control operations, protecting maritime lines of communication and naval interdiction missions. It will also be able to serve as a complex command centre, managing joint and combined operations.
