The Ninfe class of survey vessels ^[2] consists of two catamaran hulls operated by the Marina Militare Italiana.

They was designed to carry out hydro-oceanographic surveys at high sea and in harbours and shallow waters, in order to guarantee the production and updating of nautical charts.
Main activities:
^[3]

• sounding
• minimum depth
• topography of shorelines and port facilities
• seabed features
• collection of nautical and geographical data for the updating of nautical documentation
• detection of sunken vessels or dangerous underwater obstacles

The collected data are then processed by means of dedicated software programs and then used to produce:

• paper and electronic nautical charts for the safety of navigation
• Additional Military Layers
• nautical, scientific and technical documentation for mariners
• oceanographic databases for scientific purposes

It is fitted with:

• multi-beam echo sounder Simrad EM300 (30 kHz)^[4]
• single-beam echo sounder Simrad EA500 (12, 120 e 200 kHz)
• single-beam echo sounder Atlas Deso 25 (33, 100 e 210 kHz)
• Side Scan Sonar towed Simrad MS992
• differential and RTK satellite positioning systems
• Sippican XBT MK21 bathythermograph system
• CTD profiler with rosette system Ocean Seven 316 used for water sampling at different depths
• Van Veen buckets
• Sindel weather station

The ship is equipped one survey motor-boat for coastal and shallow water surveys fitted with:

• single beam Simrad EA400 (38 e 200 kHz)
• multi-beam echo sounders Simrad EM3000 (300 kHz)

Italian Navy - Ninfe class
Name	Pennant number	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Motto
Aretusa	A 5304		9 May 2000	10 January 2002	Arethusa undis prospicit
Galatea	A 5308		7 June 2000	10 January 2002	Felix Galatea vivas

• Aretusa (A 5304) Marina Militare website
• Galatea (A 5308) Marina Militare website