Fincantieri to Support Daewoo in New Korean Aircraft Carriers Design

SEOUL/TRIESTE: Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has signed a contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to support the conceptual design of the new class of aircraft carriers CVX for the Republic of Korea Navy. The contract was signed in a ceremony held during a maritime trade show currently ongoing in Busan.

The programme relating to the first-in-class unit envisages the tender for the Basic Design starting from the second half of 2021, whereas the detail design and construction will begin in the following years.

The signing took place between Vice President Naval & Special Ship Marketing Division of DSME, Jung Woo Sung, and Regional Sales Manager of Fincantieri, Marco Cerruti in the presence of Italian Ambassador in Seoul, Federico Failla,  Deputy Defence General Secretary – Deputy National Armament Director, Vice Admiral Dario Giacomin, and Advisor of the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Rear Admiral Antonio Natale.

Fincantieri will advise DSME based on the expertise gained with the construction of the landing helicopter dock Trieste, which will be delivered next year to the Italian Navy. With this agreement, Fincantieri strengthens its presence in the country, further boosting the relationship with South Korea. Through its subsidiary Seastema, the Group is cooperating in the construction of eight new Daegu-class frigates (FFX-II) for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN), providing SEASNavy, an innovative integrated platform management system (IPMS).

The signing of this contract marks an important step for the Group in establishing a strategic cooperation with DSME. In a country with high naval shipbuilding capabilities, such cooperation might provide significant supplies for this unit and it might be extended to other products or sectors in the future. The Trieste unit’s design represents the state-of-the-art for this class of ships, in addition to being a well-proven product fully meeting the operational requirements of the RoKN. With the LHD, Fincantieri has proven its ability to design and build highly innovative units which represent a benchmark in the international scenario. -fct/kf/aaa (Photo: Fincantieri)