La Spezia News

Rolls-Royce has acquired Team Italia/Onyx Marine, an Italian group specializing in yacht bridges and marine automation.Having begun to collaborate on joint development projects in 2019, the two companies now agreed that the best way to realize strategic growth plans would be for Team Italia to become part of Rolls-Royce.Team Italia, established in 2000, designs and develops integrated bridges and marine navigation and automation systems – mainly for Italian yacht builders and shipyards positioned prominently on the global yacht market.With this acquisition…

Baglietto Navy, the military division of the historic shipyard based in La Spezia, announce it has formed a commercial partnership with MST Group, a company with headquarters in Bromborough (UK), specializing in the design and construction of military naval units up to 32m in length. The agreement was secured amid the active collaboration of METCO METALS, in the person of Giuseppe Censabella, MST Group’s agent in Italy who will also be in charge of promoting and supporting Baglietto Navy’s specific commercial activities.As part of their partnership…

Ballast water treatment system manufacturer BIO-UV Group announced it has tapped La Spezia-based Fluid Global Solutions (FGS) for the sale and delivery of its BIO-SEA ballast water treatment systems to Italian operators, builders and repairers of all ship types, including offshore and naval vessels.FGS, provider of pumps and spares to the Italian maritime sector, will reinforce existing partners in Italy, namely, Tefin, which focuses on the region’s yacht sector, with its sales agent Gianfranco Catanese.With its partnerships…

When he served as the commander of NWSC Carderock, Mark Vandroff woke every morning knowing that his counterpart in China had just gone to bed and had spent that day trying to make China’s Navy superior. His job, he figured, was to “get cracking and work to make our Navy even better.” Now the CEO at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Vandroff brings that passion for navy shipbuilding – and delivering on the new USN Constellation-class frigates contract – to work every day.Introducing a new class of warship usually comes with a heaping helping of pain, from cost overruns to technical glitches.

Introducing a new class of warship can be fraught with pain, and the first ship is always the hardest – almost always behind schedule and over budget. And trying something new and transformational is even harder.The U.S. Navy knows this from experience. That’s one reason why the Navy is opting for a lower risk design for its next class of guided missile frigates (FFGs).Just about every new class has experienced a rough start. Although the USS Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) today represent the largest and most successful class of warships…

Europe's biggest utility Enel has agreed to work with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to find ways to use green hydrogen in ports and long-range sea transport."The two companies intend to exploit their expertise and know-how in their respective sectors to identify possible sustainable and innovative solutions," they said in a statement on Thursday.Fincantieri and Enel Green Power Italia will in particular study the supply of green hydrogen to naval, submarine and surface vessels and industrial users in port areas and look into storage systems.Enel’s Eugenio Montale power plant in the town of L

The MSC Grandiosa cruise ship is set to dock at the cruise pier of the Port of Valencia marking the MSC's resumption of activity at the port. The ship will dock at the Cap i Casal, an operation that will take place every Friday with a full day stopover until November 5, when the summer and autumn season comes to an end. This was explained this morning at a press conference by the, who was accompanied by the president of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), Aurelio Martínez, and the CEO of MSC Spain, Francisco Lorente.Vice-president of MSC Cruises, Gianluca Suprani said it was important that the sector was slowly but surely returning to normality…

Cruise ships moored in the Maltese port of Valletta will soon be able to plug into the island's energy grid, drawing the power they require to be fully operative without having to keep their diesel engines running. Nidec ASI, head of the Nidec Industrial Solutions platform belonging to the Nidec Group, said it has secured a  €12 million contract with the Maltese company Excel Sis for the creation of a “shore-to-ship” project at the port. Nidec ASI was awarded the supply of power and high-tech systems and all related engineering…

Carnival Corporation's Costa Cruises has taken delivery of the new cruise ship Costa Firenze designed and built by Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard.With 135,500 gross tonnage and a capacity of more than 5,200 guests, the Costa Firenze is part of a €6 billion ($7.3 billion) development plan that includes seven new ships to be delivered for the Costa Group by 2023. Costa Firenze is the fourth of these new ships to be delivered with three more to come.“The handover of the new Costa Firenze is a sign of hope and restart for the whole cruise and tourism ecosystems.

Working with Italian partner Westeam Srl, Scanjet PSM has secured a floating dock refit project with the Fincantieri Group, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups with 20 shipyards across Europe, the Americas and Asia.Requiring very short delivery lead times, the companies were tasked to refit a ballast level gauging system for a floating dock in La Spezia. With a lifting power of 40,000 tons and with 32 ballast/double bottoms, the floating dock had been re-floated after…

Carnival Corporation's Costa Cruises brand said its liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered flagship Costa Smeralda has become he first vessel to bunker LNG in Italy.Carried out in the port of La Spezia and completed at 6 p.m. on Sunday, the operation was supported by the Italian Coast Guard, Port Authority of Eastern Ligurian Sea, local authorities and Shell, which is the LNG supplier partner for Costa Group and its parent company, Carnival Corporation.The operation took place with the ship berthed at Molo Garibaldi pier…

The technical launch of first Doha-class air defense corvette ordered by the Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition program, took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia).The corvette Al Zubarah is named after a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha.The vessel, which will be delivered in 2021, is designed consistent with the RINAMIL rules, said a release by Fincantieri."She will be a flexible type of ship capable of fulfilling a range of tasks, from surveillance with sea rescue capabilities to being a fighting vessel…

Italian Shipbuilding Company Fincantieri has officially launched the "Emilio Bianchi" frigate, the tenth and last FREMM (Multi Mission European Frigates) vessel at the integrated shipyard of Riva Trigoso (Genoa).The ship has been launched with the combat system and platform equipment already installed onboard and fully integrated. She will now be moved to the Fincantieri‘s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia) where, within next June, sea trials will start to test her performances.The ship will be delivered to the Italian Navy in March 2020, after the completion of the last outfitting activities.The 10 vessels have been commissioned to Fincantieri…

Dubai-based global ports operator DP World has taken a 44% stake in Frenkendorf-headquartered Swissterminal Holding, the container terminal operator in Switzerland.The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction.Swissterminal, which is headquartered in Frenkendorf close to Basel, operates additional locations in Zurich-Niederglatt, Basel-Birsfelden, Basel-Kleinhueningen and Liestal. The terminals are well connected to Europe’s leading container ports in Rotterdam and Antwerp as well as the ports of La Spezia, Genoa, Ravenna and Trieste south of the Alps.DP World has grown from its roots in Jebel Ali Port…

Italian cruise line Costa Cruises said that Costa Smeralda is the first ship in the Costa fleet to be fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). "This is a step change for the cruise industry as a whole, guaranteeing a substantially reduced environmental impact," it said."Costa Smeralda is the first ship in the Costa fleet to be powered both in port and at sea by LNG, meaning improved air quality and protecting the environment with the virtual elimination of sulfur dioxide emissions (zero emissions) and particulate matter (95-100% reduction). The use of LNG will also greatly lessen emissions of nitrogen oxides (85% direct reduction) and CO2 (reduction of up to 20%)…

French shipbuilders Naval Group and Italy's Fincantieri announced the name of the 50/50  joint venture NAVIRIS.The name was presented during the recent Steering Committee held in Genoa (it meets every quarter alternatively in France and Italy) and is a new step in the strong collaboration between Fincantieri and Naval Group.The Alliance between Fincantieri and Naval Group represents a great opportunity for both groups and their ecosystems to enhance their ability to better serve the French and Italian navies, to capture new export contracts, to develop new technologies and, ultimately, to improve the competitiveness of the naval sectors of both countries.

An interview with Ian Sage, director for marine operations, NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation, La Spezia, Italy.NATO’s 3,100-ton, 305-foot research vessel NRV Alliance has been a leading platform for underwater acoustics research to the benefit of NATO navies. The ship operated with a civilian crew under the German flag for many years for the NATO SACLANT Center, later renamed the NATO Undersea Research Center, and now known as the NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation. Now Alliance flies a new flag, and has a broader mission.

At CMRE, it’s not just about the science. It’s about building trust and confidence in resilient systems. An interview with Dr. Catherine Warner, Director, NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation, La Spezia, ItalyTell us a little about yourself and CMRE. What does CMRE do, and how do you see your mission evolving?I came here from the Pentagon, where I was the science advisor for the director of operational test and evaluation. My experience has been working with operators on systems that they’re getting ready to field.

Underwater vehicles communicate, make decisions, and work as a teamThe NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy, is combining smarts and muscle to solve a complex warfighting challenge: finding and destroying mines in the murky waters of the littoral.CMRE has developed experimental unmanned vehicles for experimentation. Now it is evolving those vehicles to communicate and cooperate with each other, and to solve problems on their own.According to CMRE’s director Dr.

Italy launched 'Paolo Thaon di Revel', the first unit in a new class of multipurpose offshore patrol ships (abbreviated to PPA in Italian).The launching ceremony of the PPA took place yesterday (July 15) at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia), in the presence of the Italian Minister of Defence Elisabetta Trenta.Godmother of the ceremony was Mrs. Irene Imperiali, nephew of the Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel. The ceremony was attended among others by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Admiral Valter Girardelli, by Fincantieri’s Chairman Giampiero Massolo and CEO Giuseppe Bono.The PPA, first of seven units, will be delivered in 2021 and it is part of the renewal plan of the operational lines of the Italian Navy vessels…

GE Marine's LM2500+G4 gas turbine will  power the Italian Navy’s new Paolo Thaon di Revel Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA) a hybrid-electric, multipurpose offshore patrol ship that was launched in mid-June and will be delivered in 2021.Being built at Fincantieri Shipyard in Muggiano – La Spezia, Italy, the PPA patrol ship will serve multiple functions from patrol with sea rescue capacity to civil protection operations. It is 133 meters long and can carry 90 crew members with additional accommodations for up to 171 members.

Italian container terminal, intermodal & logistics operator Contship Italia Group has appointed Alfredo Scalisi as the new General Manager of its flagship container terminal at La Spezia. His appointment was effective on July 1, 2019.Scalisi will report directly to Group President Mrs. Cecilia Battistello, who is currently covering an interim corporate role as managing director of Operations and Sales of Contship Italia Group.Scalisi previously held the role of Deputy General Manager at Gioia Tauro for the Medcenter Container Terminal up until May 2019 and has a strong professional background in various management roles in the energy…

Costa Smeralda will enter service in October 2019 and will be the first Costa ship fuelled by LNG, the "cleanest" fossil fuel in the world.Featuring over 2,600 staterooms, the upcoming Costa flagship will take its guests on a veritable “tour of Italy,” with lots of areas devoted to fun, flavours and festivity.Costa Cruises, the Italian brand of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest leisure travel company and cruise operator, will be awaiting the arrival of Costa Smeralda in October 2019…