​The ceremony for the launching of the frigate Emilio Bianchi, tenth ship of the FREMM (European Multi-Mission Frigate) class, took place on 25 January, at the Fincantieri shipyard of Riva Trigoso, near Genoa. The ship is named after Emilio Bianchi, the diver who was awarded the gold medal of military valour for the raid on Alexandria, Egypt.

Ship sponsor was Mrs Elisabetta Bianchi, daughter of the hero passed away in 2015, who cut the ribbon holding the traditional well-wishing bottle to be broken on the ship's bow.  The ceremony was held in the presence of the Defence Minister Lorenzo GUERINI and the Chief of the Italian Navy, Admiral Giuseppe CAVO DRAGONE.

Frigate Emilio Bianchi – F 589 – is the last unit of the Italian-French FREMM cooperation programme, constructed in order to overcome the problem of the growing obsolescence of the Italian Naval fleet. This programme provides for Italy's acquisition of ten multi-mission frigates (six in the General Purpose -GP- variant, capable of operating in a wide range of scenarios, and four frigates designed with ASW - Anti Submarine - capability). 

Nave Bianchi – with a length of 144 metres and a full-load displacement of 6,900 tons - is the sixth FREMM in General Purpose (GP) configuration. This version's key features include the caliber of the 127/64 fore gun and the presence of a stern slide necessary for launching fast dinghies for Special Forces operations.

FREMM frigates - at the cutting edge of national shipbuilding industry – are the backbone of the Italian Navy for the decades to come, and are designed to perform a wide range of functions and activities, not only distinctly military, but also in support of the community.

The new and increasingly technological 'gray ships' - built according to criteria of modularity and both economic and environmental sustainability - require careful control and verification, in the implementation phase, of what has been established in the study and design phase. This background is evidence of the work carried out by the Italian Navy through the New Naval Constructions Outfitting and Testing Centre (MARINALLES), which supervises the outfitting, trial and acceptance procedures related to the new units, executed at private shipyards, with a plurality of actors involved and multiple interconnected activities.

Ship outfitting and crew training will continue for a year at the Fincantieri Muggiano shipyard, near La Spezia. ITS Emilio Bianchi is scheduled to enter service in 2021.