Venice: where even the patrol boats look stylish

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A new Hybrid Propulsion Patrol Boat for the ‘117’ surveillance and public utility service has been officially delivered to the Guardia di Finanza (the Italian finance police) in the Venice Lagoon.

The delivery ceremony for the 8 metre boat built in Italy by Effebi S.p.A. took place at the Tommaso Mocenigo barracks in Venice, on the Giudecca Island, with a view on the magnificent and world-famous Piazza San Marco. The Guardia di Finanza’s highest authorities – the Commander General, Gen. Giuseppe Zafarana, the Inter-regional Commander for North-East Italy, Gen. Bruno Buratti, the Veneto Region Commander, Gen. Giovanni Mainolfi - and Mrs. Katia Balducci, Managing Director of Effebi S.p.A., with Mr. Fabio Bonaccorsi, Chief Operating Officer of the Effebi S.p.A. Military Division, attended the event.

ZERO EMISSIONS
This Patrol Boat - intended for the surveillance of the lagoon and of the urban area of Venice - is one of the first craft with zero environmental footprint for the Armed Forces. It is equipped with a hybrid propulsion system with electric and internal combustion engines which will allow patrolling both in high seas with a speed higher than 32Kn and in the very delicate lagoon areas at a speed of over 5 knots with ‘zero-emissions’.

This flexibility allows the vessel to protect the environment of an ecosystem as special as the Venice Lagoon, without compromising on efficiency in terms of speed and operational capabilities.

“We are excited and proud to officially deliver to the Guardia di Finanza Corps this unique patrol boat which combines elegance and effectiveness” said Katia Balducci “An extraordinary project, of which we were excited right from the start because the Effebi – Overmarine Group has always been working on innovative projects in full respect of the environment. A project that looks to the future, and that Guardia di Finanza has made available to the community whilst protecting the environment.”

SPECIAL FENDERING
Her dimensions – 8 metres length, 2.45 metres width with a maximum height of 1.80 metres – and manoeuvrability are perfect for the lagoon area where she is going to be used, characterized by remarkable tidal range, shallow waters, and height restrictions. Her exterior lines are neat and elegant, while the inside cabin is cosy and offers exceptional convenience in terms of low noise, driving comfort etc., since it is designed in full compliance with ergonomics, functionality and high reliability standards as required for these types of boats. Moreover, she was built with special arrangements to be able to absorb the shocks in case of collision and withstand the continuous rubbing action and stresses caused by the ‘briccole’, the typical wooden mooring dolphins of Venice.

Equipped with radar, magnetic compass, electronic compass, DGPS, echosounder, infrared thermal imaging camera and radio equipment in line with the standard required by the Guardia di Finanza in order to be able to communicate with the other units of the Corps, this patrol boat fully meets the operational needs that the ‘117’ service faces every day in the difficult and fragile environment of the Venetian Lagoon.

The Effebi Shipyard is currently building the first 44m Coastal Patrol Vessel for the Guardia di Finanza, and a 22m Fast Patrol Vessel for the Police Maritime of Monaco.

Effebi was founded in 1983 by the Balducci family, which is still leading the company. It specializes in boats from 15 to 50 metres and operates in the military sector under the Effebi brand and in the pleasure yachting industry under the Mangusta, Mangusta Oceano and Mangusta GranSport brands.

By Jake Frith