Greece and Italy to Finalize Deal for Two Bergamini-Class FREMM Frigates
Greece and Italy are due to sign the implementing arrangement for two Italian Bergamini-class FREMM frigates in Rome on 8 September 2026. The vessels are scheduled for transfer in the first halves of 2028 and 2029, with Greek shipyards participating in maintenance and systems integration.
Rome signing will settle acquisition terms
Greece and Italy are scheduled to sign an implementing arrangement in Rome on 8 September 2026 for the acquisition of two Italian FREMM frigates of the Bergamini class by the Hellenic Navy. According to CNN Greece, the document will finalize the legal, financial and technical terms covering the first two vessels.
Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and the chiefs of the two countries’ navies are expected to attend the signing. The arrangement will be signed by the Greek Ministry of National Defence’s General Directorate for Defence Investments and Armaments and its Italian counterpart.
The agreement follows a memorandum of cooperation and a declaration of intent signed by Dendias and Crosetto in La Spezia on 29 September 2025. The new document is expected to establish the value of the ships in their present condition, as well as the timetable for their transfer and entry into Hellenic Navy service. CNN Greece did not report a purchase price.
Transfers planned for 2028 and 2029
The first frigate, Carlo Bergamini (F-590), is expected to be sold and transferred to Greece during the first half of 2028. The second, Virginio Fasan (F-591), is scheduled to follow during the first half of 2029. This phased timetable gives the Hellenic Navy two separate windows to prepare crews, infrastructure and technical support for the vessels.
The package also covers initial and subsequent support intended to maintain a high level of operational availability. This element is commercially and operationally important because the transaction involves ships already in service rather than newly constructed hulls. The condition assessment, support arrangements and scope of future upgrades will therefore shape the effective cost and readiness of the acquisition.
Greek shipyards gain a support role
The arrangement includes provisions for Greek shipyards to participate in frigate maintenance and in the adaptation and installation of new onboard systems. The stated aim is to perform part of the FREMM fleet’s technical support in Greece while strengthening domestic shipbuilding and defence capabilities. The source did not identify the participating yards or specify the value of the work.
For Italy, the transaction extends the industrial and service footprint of the Bergamini-class platform within Europe. Maintenance, systems work and long-term support can generate activity beyond the initial transfer, although the division of work between Italian suppliers and Greek facilities has not yet been disclosed.
Acquisition forms part of wider fleet renewal
The two FREMM frigates are part of Greece’s broader naval renewal programme. They are intended to operate alongside four FDI frigates and modernized MEKO frigates, creating a fleet of high-capability strike units for operations in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The arrangement also provides for the possibility of Greece acquiring additional ships of the same type in the future, but no number or timetable has been announced. For European naval procurement, the deal illustrates how transfers of existing vessels can provide capacity earlier than a completely new construction programme while preserving opportunities for domestic maintenance and systems integration.