VESSEL REVIEW | Salvatore P – Italian owner's semi-SWATH boat for Mediterranean tuna fishing
The Pappalardo family’s new tuna seiner Salvatore P reached the Amalfi Coast in March 2026 after initial sea trials off Viareggio, Italy, where she was built by Mediterranea Shipyard.
The vessel was developed for Mediterranean tuna fishing and is the flagship of the family’s Cetara-based fleet.
Designed by French naval architecture firm Mauric, the vessel combines a specialised stern form with twin-screw diesel propulsion. She also has accommodation for up to 17 crewmembers.
Salvatore P was launched on November 29, 2025, following construction under the direct supervision of Armement Pappalardo. Mauric undertook the general and detailed design. Outfitting continued afloat before the designer announced the vessel’s first sea trials on February 27, 2026.
Hybrid hull configuration for greater speed and efficiency
The detailed design dimensions are an LOA of 47.4 metres (156 feet), a moulded beam of 9.6 metres (31 feet), and a draught of 3.4 metres (11 feet). The hull is steel while the superstructure is aluminium. The specified design standard is RINA Fishing Vessels greater than 24 metres, with unrestricted navigation.
The stern incorporates a partial SWATH configuration. Twin Disc’s propulsion case study described the vessel as having a semi-SWATH hull and a re-engineered bow, developed as part of an owner’s brief that included high speed and fuel efficiency.
Mauric said tailored lines at the stern and large anti-roll keels were designed to cut fuel consumption and improve seakeeping at low speeds. Low-speed seakeeping was an explicit design objective rather than a benefit inferred solely from the maximum-speed figure.
Main propulsion is provided by two Guascor Siemens SLE-48ST diesel engines driving two Rolla fixed-pitch propellers. Rolla supplied a custom-engineered propeller and shaftline package, with its involvement extending from the initial concept and design stages through to launch.
Bespoke propulsion arrangement helping exceed performance targets
Each five-bladed propeller has a diameter of 2,175 mm and is cast in bronze alloy. Rolla developed a tailored hydrodynamic profile intended to improve propulsive efficiency and control cavitation.
The shaftlines use 185mm-diameter AISI 316 stainless-steel shafts with hydraulic NKF couplings, with engineering and manufacture undertaken by Rolla.
Rolla used its in-house CFD capability to analyse hull-propeller interaction. The work aimed to spot performance constraints early and forecast how the vessel would behave in operation.
Twin Disc said the project involved 18 months of collaboration between the Pappalardo family and the engineering partners, with the propulsion package developed around the vessel’s hull geometry.
Twin Disc reported that the vessel reached a top speed of 18.8 knots during sea trials. This exceeds the 17-knot maximum in Mauric’s published design specification.
Twin Disc said the final trial findings corresponded closely with Rolla’s CFD simulations and characterised fuel-efficient performance as in line with the forecasts. Mauric likewise reported that the vessel met its engineering targets for speed and fuel efficiency in the initial trials.
The vessel has a range of 4,000 nautical miles at the specified 14-knot cruising speed. At that speed, the stated range corresponds to just under 12 days of continuous steaming.
Fuel capacity is 98 cubic metres (22,000 gallons) with a further 20 cubic metres (4,400 gallons) allocated for freshwater.
Significant transport capacity coupled with ample accommodation
The electrical installation comprises two generator sets providing 600 kW of installed capacity. Two electric tunnel thrusters are rated at 160kW each.
The total catch capacity is 184 cubic metres (6,500 cubic feet) distributed between two 33-cubic-metre (1,200-cubic-foot) holds and two 59-cubic-metre (2,100-cubic-foot) holds.
Two of the deck cranes are rated at 45 and 35 tonne-metres. A third crane is rated at 14 tonne-metres. These figures are load-moment ratings, rather than lifting capacities expressed simply in tonnes.
Two 7.5-metre (25-foot) auxiliary craft are carried along with a dedicated aft ramp. The fishing specification also includes two large sonar wells.
The bridge electronics include an echosounder described as capable of estimating the size of fish in passing schools. Local media identified Mediterranean bluefin tuna as the intended fishery and said the vessel was expected to enter service when the season reopened in May 2026.
The accommodation includes seven double cabins and three single cabins, providing the specified maximum of 17 crew berths.
The vessel is also intended to embark a regional observer under the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The observer is expected to accompany the crew during fishing campaigns.
Within Armement Pappalardo, Salvatore P joins Geneviève P and Giovanna P, both also designed by Mautic. Her March arrival brought the new flagship to the family’s Amalfi Coast base following construction and initial trials at Viareggio.
