''Vulcano'' is an auxiliary ship that entered service with the

Italian Navy "Fatherland and Honour" , patron = , colors = , colors_label = , march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...

on 12 March 2021. She is designed to support fleet operations with fuel and dry stores. Along with another future

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

, she is expected to replace the

replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

s (AORs). ''Vulcano'' was financed under the 2014 Naval Law, for €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 through OCCAR 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 compared to 27,200 tons, reflecting the French fleet's greater need for

aviation fuel Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhanc ...

Design and construction

''Vulcano'' was built by Fincantieri as hull number 6259. The

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

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 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