Diciotti-class offshore patrol vessel

The Diciotti class is an Italian designed offshore patrol vessel, presently in use with the Italian Coast Guard, Armed Forces of Malta and Iraqi Navy. These ships are designed and built by Fincantieri on the bay of La Spezia.

Italian Coast Guard
Based on the earlier experimental Saettia class, the Diciotti class is an advanced and improved version with a longer length, more power and hence greater patrol endurance. The vessels in service with the Corps of the Port Captaincies, are:
 * Saettia class
 * Saettia (CP 901)
 * Diciotti class
 * Diciotti (CP 902)
 * Dattilo (CP 903)
 * Fiorillo(CP 904)
 * Peluso (CP 905)
 * Corsi (CP 906)

Maltese Navy - P61
In 2003, the Armed Forces of Malta ordered a replacement for the former East German Kondor class patrol boats P29, P30 and P31, due to the increase in flow of refugees from North Africa to Europe.

The design for P61 provides a clear rear half to the ship, providing sufficient space with reinforcement to land a helicopter, up to the size of an UH-1N Twin Huey. P61 has the capability of carrying out patrols up to Sea State 5, and withstand sea conditions up to Sea State 7. It can launch a rib patrol boat via a rear launch ramp up to Sea State 4. This combination of modifications increases vessel weight to 450-tonnes, and reduces standard crew capacity to 25. Maximum unrefueled patrol length at 20 kn is 3000 nmi.

The €17m Euros contract, financed entirely from the 5th Italo-Maltese Financial Protocol, covered the construction of the vessel together with an associated training and logistic support package. The ship was commissioned on October 1, 2005 and operational from November 5, 2005. P61 acts as the flagship of the Armed Forces of Malta.

Iraq - Saettia MK4 class
In 2006, the new Iraqi Navy signed a contract with the Italian Government to purchase 4 modified Diciotti class vessels to patrol its 58kilometre coast line.

The vessels are to be built by Fincantieri at Riva Trigoso, with modifications including increased crew capacity of 38. The contract also comprises the provision of logistical support and crew training with each crew completing a 7 week training course. In cooperation with the Marina Militare (Italian Navy), each commissioning crew is provided with a week’s bridge simulator course at the Academy in Livorno.

In May 2009, the first vessel, Patrol Ship 701 named Fatah (Arabic for Victory), was handed over at the Muggiano, La Spezia shipyard. The crew hand been training since January 2009, and would now be heading for Umm Qasr, a 20 day/5,000 nautical miles journey via the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and Red Sea. There, additional training will be completed, before the vessel takes over duties from the British Royal Marine patrols, who will then revert to a training role of new crew.

The vessels will be used to patrol the exclusive economic zone, control maritime traffic, for search and rescue and fire fighting.