Tag Archives: Fincantieri

Virgin Goes with Bipolar Ionization

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Scarlet Lady.

“HVAC is one of the most important systems aboard a cruise ship. To that end, we designed our ship based on industry best practices, working with Fincantieri and HVAC engineers. We are trading off energy consumption for passenger comfort, quality, and safety,” Andy Schwalb, chief marine and technology for Virgin Voyages, told Cruise Industry News.

“So, instead of building the most efficient air-conditioning system possible, we built the best air circulation system possible for the comfort of our guests and crew,” he added.

Aboard the Scarlet Lady, each public space has its own air-handling system, designed and optimized for each space.

“We are constantly putting fresh air into public spaces and cabins. While other ships may pump in the fresh air too, the question is how often that air is exchanged. Our system is smart and adjusts according to how many people are in the room. So, the air may be exchanged every couple of minutes or every five to seven minutes. It can go faster or slower.

“Some large spaces also have cooling coils that help keep the air cool, but we are not recirculating air.

“We also change the air in every cabin every few minutes. Each cabin has its own cooling unit, and there is no cross-contamination between cabins.”

“There are many ways to clean the air,” Schwalb said. “The most basic is to move fresh air through a filter and suck out the old air. That works up to a point, depending on how often the air is exchanged and how big or small the particles are that go into the filters. Some companies have gone to MERV 13 filters, which have a finer mesh, and some are putting UV lamps in their air handlers.

“We have chosen a different route, covering 100 per cent of the ship with bipolar ionization.”

Schwalb explained how it works: “The fresh air comes into the space ionized with positively and negatively charged ions. They are attracted to particulate matter – pathogens, allergens, bacteria dust – and attach themselves. By doing so, they destroy the pathogens by stripping the hydrogen atom and make them bigger and heavier, which means the filters can better trap them, they are no longer able to attach themselves to people’s lungs, and they also fall to the floor.

“99.92 per cent of viruses are killed instantaneously.”

In-door air quality, in general, is a problem, according to Schwalb, not just on cruise ships. Any building, any enclosed space, has challenges such as norovirus and influenza, for example, and the ionization takes care of all of that.

“In addition, we are also upping our filtration to MERV 13 where it makes sense,” he added. “We are doing absolutely everything that is possible. First of all, we want to keep everybody safe and healthy; and secondly, we think this will improve the (cruise) experience over the long run.”

Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Winter 2020-2021

Fincantieri Reveals Plans for Major New Shipyard in Yucatan, Mexico

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Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri has revealed plans to manage a major new shipyard in Mexico’s Yucatan state capable of servicing some of the world’s largest cruise vessels, cargo ships and oil and gas vessels.

Fincantieri this week signed a letter of intent related to the project with the Yucatán Government offering Fincantieri a 40-year concession for the exclusive management of a new ship repair, conversion and maintenance yard at the Port of Progreso, the state’s main port located about 35km from the capital city of Merida. Fincantieri will also take part in the design and construction of the site.

The company said plans are to have two masonry dry docks, said to be “the largest in the Americas,” which will be able to hold ships up to 400 meters in length, “particularly cruise ships, large cargos and Oil & Gas vessels, which need complex operations,” Fincantieri said in a press release. The yard will also have a lifting platform for units up to 150 meters in length, about 1,000 meters docks, cranes, workshops, special equipment, offices, and warehouses, it said.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2021 with completion by 2027 “after various steps,” the company said.

The government is expected to directly manage the initial work through a special purpose company that will handle the dredging and construction of infrastructure. “Fincantieri is to provide advice from the very beginning, to carry out the later stage, also involving other partners, building the advanced facilities, notably workshops and lifting equipment, and installing the equipment and finally starting activities,” the company said.

“Mexico exports close to 400 billion dollars of goods every year, importing around 350 billion dollars. A considerable volume of this import/export is made through shipments by sea. Not to mention, the significant cruise traffic along the coasts of the United States, in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico, where there are the renowned settlements of the Maya civilization.

“The new Progreso shipyard will be strategically placed to serve the merchant operators of this area, benefiting from the near Yucatán navigation channel, a natural outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The Gulf is also a region with a strong concentration of Oil & Gas related operations, with offshore exploration, production and storage of oil and natural gas,” Fincantieri said.

Fincantieri Starts Drydock Work on Chinese-Built Cruise Ship

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Making a key milestone in the construction of the first megaship built in China, Fincantieri held the coin ceremony for its newbuild ship at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd (SWS), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The ship is under construction for CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited, a joint venture between Carnival Corporation and CSSC.

Fincantieri also reported the hull erection of the ship is starting. 

The coin ceremony took place at the presence, among others, of the Consul General of Italy in Shanghai Michele Cecchi and the Deputy Mayor of Shanghai Wu Qing. The event was also attended by Lei Fanpei Chairman of CSSC, Fabrizio Ferri CEO of Fincantieri China, and Tian Yulong and Gao Dongsheng, respectively Chief Engineer and General Manager of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The new ship, which will be delivered in 2023, will accommodate about 4,250 passengers, in addition to 1,400 crew members. She will be the first cruise ship built in China for the Chinese market.

The joint venture set up by Fincantieri and CSSC Cruise Technology Development Co. Ltd (CCTD) grants a technology license of the ship model platform and provides a series of technical services to SWS, including project management activities, supply chain management and sales of fundamental systems and components, according to a press release.

During the China International Import Export (CIIE) 2020, Marine Interiors, subsidiary of Fincantieri and major international player in the design and construction of public and catering areas, as well as glass walls, also signed a contract with SWS for the supply of approx. 2,800 cabins for the ship. 

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “The production is moving forward as planned. This is an excellent sign for the cruise industry in China and it confirms the strong commitment of Fincantieri, CSSC and the Carnival group in this very difficult moment we are living in. The different teams have worked remotely for months with great ability and flexibility, and today’s milestone not only confirms our Group’s management leadership, but it also demonstrates the determination of the entire sector in tackling the crisis.