Trieste News

Saipem and Fincantieri have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to evaluate commercial and industrial opportunities for cooperation in the field of autonomous subsea vehicles (AUV) and their integration with surface and underwater units.The MoU is among the initiatives aimed at promoting and developing Italy’s national excellence in the underwater sector.The agreement aims to enable the two companies to participate in major programs in the Italian and international markets in the area of surveillance and control of critical underwater infrastructure and rescue activities…

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) on Monday held a naming ceremony for its new ultra large containership MSC Nicola Mastro in Intaly's Port of Trieste.The 400-meter-long 24,116 TEU newbuild was built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation's Jiangnan Shipyard as part of MSC's new record-breaking Celestino Maresca class, among the world's largest containerships. "At MSC, we continue to modernize our fleet and are investing in the most fuel-efficient vessels by design. The MSC Nicola Mastro is one of those vessels…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri posted a first-half net loss of €22 million ($24.35 million) shrinking it from €234 million a year ago, helped by one-off items of €33 million, the group said on Wednesday.The Trieste-based vessel maker reported a half-year backlog at 22 billion euros, with 88 ships to be delivered up to 2029."The core business has an encouraging outlook, with the cruise sector fully recovered in its long-term growth path, potential new opportunities in defence both in Italy and abroad, and the offshore renewable energy mainstream," Chief Executive Pierroberto Folgiero said."We

REMEMBERING MY SHIPMATE JOHN MICHELWe met in January 1959 when I became the first Officer in Charge of the Navy’s newly acquired Bathyscaph Trieste and John was the first USN enlisted man to be assigned to the project. We were based at the Naval Electronics Laboratory in San Diego. Trieste was unique as there were only two deep diving manned submersibles in the world. The French Navy had the other. Our team learned about the bathyscaph more by ‘apprenticeship’ than through any sort of formal learning process.

Wartsila  will scale down its manufacturing in Trieste, Italy, in a move that might involve about 450 job cuts, the Finnish engineering group said on Thursday.Wartsila said it plans to centralize its 4-stroke engine manufacturing in Vaasa, Finland, while its Trieste site will focus on research and development, among other activities.(Reuters - Reporting by Boleslaw Lasocki; editing by Jason Neely)

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä said it is set to launch a new engine combustion technology platform designed to enable the "fast and cost-effective" conversion of two-stroke main engines to operate on clean-burning future fuels.The company's Two-Stroke Future Fuels Conversion platform is due for commercial launch during the first quarter of 2022, as the maritime industry continues to work toward decarbonized shipping operations.The retrofit conversion will initially enable operation with liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel…

Fincantieri signed a contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to support the Conceptual Design of the new class of aircraft carriers “CVX” for the Navy of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).The program relating to the first-in-class unit envisages the tender for the Basic Design starting from the second half of 2021, whereas the detail design and construction will begin in the following years.The signing took place between Jung Woo Sung, Vice President Naval & Special Ship Marketing Division of DSME…

The Greek island of Corfu welcomed its first cruise ship of the new season on Tuesday, hoping much awaited tourists will help salvage losses incurred during 2020 due to the coronavirus.Corfu port authorities said some 600 tourists from countries including Italy, France and Germany were on board the Costa Luminosa, operated by Italy's Costa Cruises, and all safety measures were being adhered to in the port.Some of the passengers expressed their delight at being able to travel again."It's freedom, enjoying life, you really feel much better. You're not in prison anymore, you're free and that really does you good," said French tourist Robert Maran from Lyon.Greece opened its doors on Saturday to tourists from the EU and other key markets such as the United States…

The hull of ultra-luxury expedition ship Seabourn Venture has been transferred from Trieste to Genoa, where the newbuild will undergo final outfitting ahead of its scheduled launch in December. The hull, with its superstructures built up to deck 9, was built at T. Mariotti and Cimolai's CIMAR shipyard in San Giorgio di Nogaro. The new ship was floated out in Trieste on March 30 and arrived in Genoa on April 10 following the 1,200 mile voyage.Already equipped with engines, generators and the main equipment of the engine room…

The Italian Navy has taken delivery of the newly built logistics support ship LSS Vulcano from Fincantieri's Naval Integrated shipyard in Muggiano, Italy.The 193-meter LSS Vulcano is part of the FLOTLOG (Flotte Logistique) program, which includes the construction of four LSS destined to the French Navy, by the temporary consortium between Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Naval Group under the Italian-French LSS Program led by OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation). The construction of the forward sections of these ships has been commissioned to Fincantieri…

Carnival Corp’s shares surged 11% on Thursday after its Italian brand Costa Cruises said two of its ships would resume sailing this weekend, with more to follow.Cruise companies, among the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, were forced to halt voyages for months after ships in Japan, Australia and California made headlines because of large numbers of infections onboard.So far this year, Carnival’s shares have lost nearly two-thirds of their value, while peer Royal Caribbean Cruises Group has lost about 45% and Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Ltd about 67%.Shares of Royal Caribbean were up 6% an

Switzerland-based MSC Cruises announced Monday that it will resume "full-experience" cruise operations on select ships in the Mediterranean starting from mid-August.The cruise lines flagship MSC Grandiosa will sail in the West Mediterranean from August 16 and MSC Magnifica in the West Mediterranean from August 29. The ships will be the first to implement a new health and safety protocol that has been approved by the relevant national authorities along the ships’ itineraries.Pierfrancesco Vago…

A growing number of oil tankers across Europe have been unable to unload their cargo over the past month as refining demand crashes, turning them into de facto floating storage, according to shipping data and trading sources.European refineries have had to cut runs after measures put in place to contain the coronavirus outbreak crushed fuel demand.More than 25 tankers with roughly 18 million barrels onboard were anchored near European ports, with most them already there for over a week as of Thursday…

Plunging into the deep, dark abyss of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard heard a loud cracking sound in their vessel—the bathyscaphe Trieste, which the Office of Naval Research (ONR) purchased for scientific observations.Already 30,000 feet below sea level, Walsh and Piccard faced the ultimate decision—risk their lives to become the first people to travel to the deepest part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep, or return to safety.The crack had scarred one of Trieste’s outer plexiglass panels.

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 shipbuilder Fincantieri held an official float-out ceremony at its shipyard in Marghera for Costa Firenze, Costa Cruises’ second ship designed and built specifically for the Chinese market.Costa Cruises is the Italian company of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest leisure travel company.The ceremony was held at Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, where the ship is being built with scheduled delivery on September 30, 2020, once the interior fittings have been completed.Costa Firenze is the sister ship of Costa Venezia, built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone shipyard and launched in Trieste on March 1 this year. The projects for construction of the two ships require thousands of shipyard workers and ancillary employees.

Princess Cruises, the Carnival-owned cruise line, has taken delivery of its fourth Royal-class ship, Sky Princess, at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard in Trieste, Italy.The vessel is the 17th ship Fincantieri has built for Princess, but it is the first to be custom built with the line's MedallionClass technology integrated into its infrastructure.The new unit, at 145,000 gross tons with accommodation on board for 4,610 passengers in 1,830 cabins and 1,411 crew members crew, is built on the basis of the successful sister ship project of Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess, all built from the same shipyard of Monfalcone starting from 2013…

Vard, a Fincantieri subsidiary, has delivered the new Hanseatic Inspiration to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, the second in a series of three 230-guest luxury expedition ships for the German cruise operator.With her close to 16,000 gross tons and 139 meters long, “Hanseatic inspiration” follows sister ship “Hanseatic nature”, delivered in April by Vard Langsten in Norway, while a third vessel, “Hanseatic spirit”, is scheduled for completion in 2021.Each ship is tailored to allow passengers to access remote regions, ranging from the Arctic and Antarctic to the Amazon, said a press release from the  Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste.“Hanseatic inspiration” features seven spacious passenger decks…

For Marine Technology Reporter's (MTR) 14th Annual "MTR100" - a look at 100 innovators and technologies in the subsea space - MTR editor-at-large Elaine Maslin reports on five companies and technologies that are worth the watch for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. For the full edition, see https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/201907/Blue Logic: Entering a new eraCompletely new modes of operation are entering the underwater domain for oil and gas operations and…

The largest shipbuilder in Europe Fincantieri has floated Princess Cruises’ new Enchanted Princess out of the building dock at its yard in Monfalcone, Italy.The Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste said in a press release that interior fittings will now begin, leading the fifth Royal-class ship to its delivery, scheduled in 2020.The ceremony was attended by Firouz Mal, Princess Cruises director new build services, while Fincantieri was represented, among others, by Roberto Olivari, director of the shipyard in Monfalcone. The Godmother of the ceremony was Miss Marinella Cossu, a historic employee of the yard.The new unit, at 145…

Wärtsilä launched the Wärtsilä HY for Dredger, a new product based on Wärtsilä’s HY hybrid propulsion technology, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of dredging operations.The product was recently unveiled at a Future Dredger Day event held at the Wärtsilä's Hybrid Center in Trieste, Italy. The Wärtsilä HY for Dredger features a combination of different power sources, including the engines and energy storage systems, the power distribution equipment, and the Energy Management System (EMS). The EMS ensures instant load taking and dynamic power demand.

The May 2019 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News features a 10-page feature section on "Thought Leadership" in the marine power sector. Here we extract and present the interview with Rolf Stiefel, Vice President Sales, Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd., in its entirety.Please put in perspective and discuss – using your career as the time span – the current environment and pressure to reduce emissions in the maritime industry.When I started in the marine industry (coming from the power generation markets) back in the early 2000’s…

With the arrival of the MSC Trieste,  Contship’s La Spezia Container Terminal  (LSCT) greeted the maiden voyage of the “revised” Dragon/AE20 service from Asia operated by 2M joint partners, MSC and Maersk Line.Like its predecessor, the service calls La Spezia as its first gateway port call in the West Mediterranean, taking advantage of the connectivity throughout Italy as well as southern Europe.The number of port calls in the rotation has been reduced to improve schedule integrity and overall service efficiency. Built in 2011 and over 365m in length the MSC Trieste has a deadweight of almost 155,000 tons and a nominal capacity of 13…