Tag Archives: ecosystem

Fincantieri and Accenture Launch Fincantieri Ingenium

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Fincantieri and Accenture have signed an agreement to establish Fincantieri Ingenium, a joint venture focused on accelerating digital transformation in the cruise, defense and port infrastructure sectors.

Fincantieri NexTech, a subsidiary of Fincantieri Group, will own 70 percent of the venture, with Accenture holding 30 percent.

This initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July 2024 and combines Fincantieri’s expertise in the naval sector with Accenture’s advanced digital capabilities, including digital engineering and manufacturing.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and general manager of Fincantieri, said: “With Fincantieri Ingenium, we strengthen our leadership position in technological innovation applied to shipbuilding and the naval engineering industry. This joint venture represents a strategic step forward in accelerating the digitalization of the sector, leveraging artificial intelligence and the most advanced technologies. Thanks to the synergy with Accenture, we will develop cutting-edge solutions that will make our ships and infrastructures increasingly connected, efficient and sustainable, consolidating Fincantieri’s role as a global leader in the sector.”

Fincantieri Ingenium’s first strategic initiative is the development of Navis Sapiens, a digital ecosystem for next-generation ships and fleet upgrades.

The project focuses on three key areas: a portfolio of application services to optimize ship and infrastructure management, a digital platform offering AI-driven functionalities with a strong emphasis on cybersecurity, and a marketplace for exchanging solutions to create new business models in the maritime ecosystem.

The first vessel fitted with Navis Sapiens is expected to launch by the end of 2025. The joint venture will also enhance real-time data exchange and connectivity between ships and onshore systems, including ports and shipyards, through a sea-to-shore interoperability solution.

Fincantieri Ingenium will focus on sustainability in all initiatives. The systems will be designed to reduce environmental impact by leveraging data-driven energy optimization, helping shipowners lower fuel consumption.

Teodoro Lio, MU lead for ICEG and CEO of Accenture Italy, said: “We are excited about this joint venture with Fincantieri, which marks a significant step forward in maritime innovation and is a tangible example of collaboration between two organizations committed to transforming the market and creating new value. With Fincantieri Ingenium, we combine our strengths to shape new operating models that will transform maritime operations through innovative technologies.”

Royal Caribbean Announces Strategic Agreement with Meyer Turku, Finnish Government

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Royal Caribbean Group announced it has signed a maritime declaration with the Finnish government, represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) and Meyer Turku Oy, to chart the way forward for innovative and sustainable shipbuilding in Finland.

According to a press release, the commitment is set to advance innovation, strengthen competitiveness and bolster the maritime industry’s ecosystem.

“Our partners in Finland have helped us deliver some of the world’s most impressive and sustainable ships of their time, including our newest ship debuting in January 2024, Icon of the Seas,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “This new partnership sets the stage for future innovations and allows us and the maritime industry to continue pursuing sustainability at the highest level.”

The declaration announces the following actions:

  • Preparing a roadmap for the production of climate-neutral ships in Finland. The roadmap is part of the maritime industry’s green transition.
  • Strengthening the innovation of Meyer Turku, Royal Caribbean Group and the maritime industry.
  • Supporting networking to curb economic challenges, develop new solutions and secure the long-term viability of the maritime industry.
  • Assembling a digital demonstration of a climate-neutral ship as part of the sustainable maritime industry development program of the Ministry of Labor and Economy.
  • Piloting and testing new innovations and technologies on Royal Caribbean Group ships.

This partnership also advances Royal Caribbean Group’s Destination Net Zero strategy to decarbonize its operations by 2050 and it is near- and medium-term targets, including reducing carbon intensity by double digits by 2025 compared to 2019 and the introduction of a net-zero cruise ship by 2035.

The declaration comes on the heels of another major milestone for Royal Caribbean. On Friday, Dec. 9, the revolutionary, new vacation, Icon of the Seas, reached its next phase of construction ahead of its iconic January 2024 debut. The new ship floated on water for the first time since the assembly began nine months ago at Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland. The icon will join the company’s Royal Caribbean International cruise line and its lineup of industry-leading ships, becoming the brand’s most sustainable ship to date and the crown jewel of shipbuilding in the Finnish maritime industry.

“The Finnish maritime ecosystem is built on the innovativeness, expertise and skills of the thousands of leading shipbuilders at Meyer Turku, and Icon of the Seas is the latest example of what can be built here in Finland,” said Mika Lintilä, Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. “This new declaration will secure a future in which the maritime industry continues to make strides in our decarbonization goals and economic growth priorities for years to come.”

The company also has agreements with the shipyard to build the unnamed second and third ships in the Icon Class for its Royal Caribbean International brand, and Mein Schiff 7, which is currently under construction for the company’s TUI Cruises brand.

“While expertise and interdisciplinary collaboration will always be key to the success of shipbuilding, we recognize the need to continuously evolve and create strategies to reduce carbon emissions toward net zero,” said Tim Meyer, CEO, of Meyer Turku Oy. “This commitment will set us up, as an industry, to innovate and adapt in how we design, build and operate ships. This challenge presents significant opportunities for the Finnish maritime industry to take the lead globally and bring to market new technologies and products.”

MSC Takes Digital Leadership Position

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MSC for Me

Three years of research has led to the digital experience of the future aboard the MSC Meraviglia and Seaside, powered by the company’s MSC for Me app.

“The expectations of our guests were changing. The idea was to place them at the centre of the ecosystem and the centre of the stage,” said Luca Pronzati, chief business innovation officer. “We wanted to give them the possibility to get in touch with the ship for any need, at any place and anytime during their vacation.

“What you see today on the Seaside is from a three-year program involving 100 people and a major investment.”

The app, available on Apple and Android platforms, is based off a human-centred design approach, Pronzati said, that will get rid of paper, long lines and other friction points.

Perhaps more impressive is the technology powering the app, which worked seamlessly across the Seaside, and will be introduced to more ships in the near future.

Daniele Buonaiuto, the company’s CIO, said it was nothing short of a major project putting in the infrastructure to keep guests connected, which included 665 access points and some 3,275 wireless beacons across the ship.

“We can’t lose connections, so we needed a highly reliable network,” he said. “There are 900 people in the theatre getting connected at the same time, it’s a complex scenario.”

“It is one of the most advanced networks (at sea),” Buonaiuto noted.

MSC’s app can pinpoint a passenger’s location within centimetres. “Exploring a city through GPS has become a given,” he continued.

That experience is much different at sea, with a huge metal superstructure killing signals.

“For that reason we have recreated a GPS system using beacons, installed everywhere.”

The app can direct passengers, turn-by-turn, to venues, elevators, restrooms and their cabins.

Next, Pronzati said the company was looking into the robotic experience aboard.

“There has been a huge commitment from Mr Vago (Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman) and top management to further invest beyond what we’ve already achieved,” he added.