Fincantieri Marine Group News

The U.S. Navy on Friday celebrated the keel laying of the lead ship of the Constellation class of guided-missile frigates, the future USS Constellation (FFG 62), at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wis.Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti participated in the ceremony along with Wisconsin governor Tony Evers and Fincantieri Marine Group CEO Marco Galbiati.Hundreds of FMM shipbuilders gathered with guests inside the shipyard’s massive new climate-controlled Building 34…

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding on Wednesday began construction on a 289-foot service operation vessel (SOV) for a Crowley-ESVAGT joint venture that will house and transport technicians to maintain U.S. offshore wind farms.This Jones Act compliant vessel, for the joint venture CREST Wind, will operate under a long-term charter with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. The vessel is scheduled to enter service in 2026, when it will support the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project.“We are excited to get started on this important vessel…

With a lame-duck CNO, a divided Congress and the impending launch of the next Presidential election cycle, America’s naval market is locked into something of a fragile and fearful autopilot, cruising inexorably towards whatever excitement 2024 might bring.Materially, don’t expect much change: The demand for naval platforms will continue to outstrip available funding, meaning there will be little movement or growth in America’s major shipbuilding programs of record. The procurement outlines are already set.

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is expanding its partnership with a local technical college in an effort to advance the maritime manufacturing industry and meet growing workforce demand within the region.In fall 2022, FBS and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) designed a specialized training program for FBS employees to advance their welding and ship/pipe-fitting techniques. Since the launch, 97 participants have successfully completed this five-week course offered through the NWTC Sturgeon Bay campus.

Fincantieri Marine Group announced on Thursday that it has suspended the general manager of its Bay Shipbuilding shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. over recent criminal fraud charges.The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently charged Craig Perciavalle and two other former Austal USA employees for "allegedly making or causing to be made false and misleading statements about Austal USA's performance and financial condition between 2012 and 2016", according to Austal USA, a subsidiary of Australian shipbuilding group Austal. The U.S.

Following the news on Wednesday that Crest Wind, a joint venture between Crowley and ESVAGT, is set to build a service operation vessel for operations in the U.S. offshore wind sector, the partners have now selected a shipbuilder for the SOV construction.Fincantieri Marine Group said Wednesday it had reached an agreement on a contract with CREST Wind to design and build a 288-ft. HAV 832 Service Operation Vessel (SOV).SOVs are purpose-built vessels used to transport technicians to service and sustain the operation of wind turbines at sea. Crowley is a U.S.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $39 million in grants to 12 marine highway projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). The funding will help expand marine highway services on the United States’ navigable waterways to reduce congestion, alleviate supply chain bottlenecks, and move goods more quickly from ships to shelves.“At a time of record demand for goods, it’s more important than ever to…

Fincantieri Marinette Marine announced on Wednesday that it has officially started construction on the U.S. Navy’s first Constellation-class guided missile frigate in Northeast Wisconsin.The future USS Constellation moved into the next stage of development as shipbuilders began cutting steel for the ship with members of the Navy, representatives of elected officials and community leaders observing this material start to a class of ships.Two years ago the Navy selected FMM to design and build the Constellation-class frigate…

As a rudderless U.S. Navy debates maritime strategy, fleet futures and platform performance, America’s naval shipbuilding industry can look forward to another year of relative stasis.Barring a major geopolitical incident or unexpected maritime provocation, government shipbuilding isn’t going to change course. With Admiral Michael Gilday approaching the final “lame duck” year of his four-year term as Chief of Naval Operations and the 2024 election season looming, the prospect for major changes in the Navy’s demand signal seems limited.Aside from the U.S.

Fincantieri Marine Group, a U.S. subsidiary of Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri, announced Thursday that Marco Galbiati has been named as its new CEO effective July 6, while former CEO Dario Deste remains the company’s president. Galbiati was previously FMG’s general manager, a role that he held since 2018. In this capacity he has been heavily involved in all aspects of the business and its efforts to grow the workforce in support of important commercial and military contracts. FMG serves commercial and government customers in the U.S., including the U.S.

The U.S. Navy announced Thursday that Fincantieri Marinette Marine is on contract to build a third Constellation-class Frigate, the future USS Chesapeake.This announcement follows last month’s successful critical design review of the first-in-class FFG-62, which is nearing the start of construction. The value of this contract option is approximately $536 million.“We are pleased with the award, and our focus remains on working with the Navy to build the best frigate in the world…

Fincantieri Marine Group began accepting applications for a new paid Industrial Shipbuilding Apprenticeship program this week. This program, which was approved by Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, is designed to increase the quality and quantity of skilled technicians trained and equipped to succeed in the maritime sector of the manufacturing industry. Fincantieri will select its first group of apprentices in July, and then will open up additional apprenticeship positions in the coming months.

Fincantieri Marine Systems North America (FMSNA) has been awarded the maintenance contract for the U.S. Navy’s “Avenger”-class minesweepers. The program has a combined value up to more than $78 million.The Navy operates eight “Avenger”-class vessels, which are homeported in Bahrain and Japan. All of the vessels have diesel engines produced by Isotta Fraschini Motori, another Fincantieri’s subsidiary, of which FMSNA technicians are experts. All of the “Avenger”-class vessels were made in Marinette and Sturgeon Bay…

Leaders from Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the U.S. Navy, and Wisconsin-based Miron Construction dedicated a new facility at the Marinette shipyard with a small ceremony Mar. 8, 2022.Employees and guests gathered to open the newest building at the Marinette shipyard, Building 35, where giant plates of raw steel begin the journey to become a U.S. warship. The 32,000 sq. ft. building is connected to a new panel line where steel is prepared, marked, cut, and welded on an automated assembly line complete with state-of-the-art robotic welders.

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.

U.S. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding announced a change of leadership. Todd Thayse, who began working at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding more than 37 years ago and he has spent the last 10 years as the vice president and general manager, has decided to retire.“The timing of one’s retirement is not an easy decision,” Thayse said. “Especially when you enjoy what you do and the people you get to work with every day.”Thayse will remain at FBS through mid-January to help enable a smooth transition with the incoming VP and GM, Craig Perciavalle.

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding said it will build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering barge for Crowley Maritime Corporation that, when completed, will be the largest of its kind in the U.S. Crowley said it has signed a long-term time charter with Shell to operate the new barge, and that the vessel is expected to be deployed to serve LNG-fueled ships that call on ports on the U.S. East Coast starting in 2024. It will be the second Jones Act-compliant bunker barge Shell has under…

Fincantieri Marinette Marine and its board of directors announced that Mark Vandroff will be taking over as CEO effective July 7, replacing Jan Allman who has led the Wisconsin shipyard since 2014.“Our company’s continued growth afforded us an opportunity to expand our senior leadership team and to better organize to exceed our customer’s needs,” said Dario Deste, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Jan [Allman] has done a tremendous job working with partner Lockheed Martin and the Navy on the Littoral Combat Ship and Multi-mission Surface Combatant programs…

The Department of Defense announced Thursday that the Navy is exercising a $553.8 million option to have Fincantieri Marinette Marine build the second Constellation-class frigate.The Wisconsin shipyard is currently working with the Navy on the detailed design phase of building the first-in-class USS Constellation (FFG-62), a modern guided-missile frigate based partially on the Italian FREMM. Fabrication is planned to start at the end of this year, and the ship is expected to deliver…

Marine engineering firm BMT has been awarded a prime contract to conduct industry studies for the U.S. Navy’s T-ARC(X) cable ship replacement program.The Navy’s only operational cable ship, the nearly 40-year-old USNS Zeus (T-ARC 7), is approaching the end of its service life, and the Navy is interested in recapitalizing its undersea cable installation and repair capabilities, as well as adding the new mission sets of acoustic, hydrographic, and bathymetric survey; and deploying and recovering unmanned underwater vessels.

U.S. shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine is gearing up to build the U.S. Navy's new guided missile frigates, welcoming key leaders to Marinette, Wis. Tuesday to break ground on the largest building in the shipyard's history.The multimillion dollar building is part of the company’s most recent $200 million shipyard capital expansion underway to support construction of the U.S. Navy's newest class of ships.Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded the contract in April 2020 to design and build the first Constellation-class guided missile frigate, with options for up to nine additional ships.

GE Marine will provide gas turbine engines and associated equipment for the Navy’s Constellation-class frigates being designed and built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin.“GE Marine brings a proven and reliable gas turbine that integrates perfectly in our combined diesel electric and gas turbine (CODLAG) propulsion system,” said Dario Deste, President and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Fincantieri has a decades-long relationship with GE, and we are proud to have these American-made gas engines on our U.S.

American shipyards form an important economic engine, supporting nearly 400,000 jobs, $25.1 billion of labor income and $37.3 billion in gross domestic product (GDP), according to figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD).It’s a good thing, then, that U.S. shipyards were deemed essential businesses amid COVID-19 and have remained up and running throughout the pandemic. And it’s even better that most yards have been able to keep their workers employed despite less than stable market conditions…