Tag Archives: Fincantieri

Concordia, by the numbers

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By Tom Stieghorst

Although I’m loath to admit it, numbers can tell a story just as effectively as words sometimes. Or images.

We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. So when it comes to the Costa Concordia, the image of the ship being towed to Genoa, Italy, next week will go further than any number of words in showing that the ship is at last floating again and on its way to oblivion.

More intriguing are the numbers. In a graphic compiled by CNN from numbers released by the Costa Concordia’s builder, Fincantieri, and the salvage consortium Titan Micoperi, some numbers are juxtaposed, making for several eye-opening stories.

First are the dollars. Costa CEO Michael Thamm said this week the meter on the Concordia accident has reached 1.5 billion euros, including the cost of demolition and recycling over the next two years. That’s about $2.04 billion at current exchange rates.

According to the CNN graphic, the Concordia took about $612 million to build. By that math, recovering the wrecked Concordia cost more than three times the price of building the new Concordia. Somewhere there’s a lesson there about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.*TomStieghorst

Likewise, the numbers show it took about 20 months to build the 114,000-ton ship at Fincantieri back in 2004, but will take about 54 months, or four-and-a-half years from the time of the accident, to remove and unbuild it.

The graphic shows a loss of 12,000 tourists since the accident in the island of Giglio, but I think that’s misleading. Most of the tourists lost were likely Italians or Europeans from other nearby countries.

The Concordia accident, for better or worse, made Giglio nearly a household name in countries around the world that never heard of it before. I think over the long term it may lead to more tourism, despite the short-term losses.

Another story told through numbers appears dramatic but again is misleading. Of the 500 people who worked on the salvage team, fewer than 12 were locals, according to the graphic.

I have no idea how that count was made, or if it is accurate, but I do know that salvage work of the magnitude involved in raising the Concordia requires world-class expertise, and is not the kind of thing where local hiring outreach makes a lot of sense.

Another set of numbers is also about people: 3,200 passengers, 32 killed, one missing. With that there can be no argument.

FINCANTIERI: “VIKING STAR” LAUNCHED IN MARGHERA

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FINCANTIERI: “VIKING STAR” LAUNCHED IN MARGHERA
Today the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera saw the launching of the “Viking Star”, the first of three cruise ships that Fincantieri is currently building for Viking Ocean Cruises. The ship will now move into the fitting-out stage, leading to its scheduled delivery in the spring of 2015.
Fincantieri has already started work on the “Viking Sea” and the “Viking Sky”, the second and third ships in the series, which will be respectively delivered at the Marghera shipyard in the spring of 2016 and at the Ancona shipyard during the summer of the same year.

Attending the ceremony for the shipowner was Torstein Hagen, founder and chairman of Viking Cruises, while Fincantieri was represented, among others, by Antonio Quintano, the yard manager.

“Viking Star”, like its two sister ships, will be positioned in the small cruise ship segment. In fact, with a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons, it will have 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.
The ship has been designed by SMC Design of London, while Rottet Studio in Los Angeles has been engaged to design its interior, where every attention will be paid to style and elegance.

The construction of this series of ships is evidence of the solid business relationship between Viking and Fincantieri.

Cruise Giant Increases Megaship Order

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By Michelle Howard
File MSC Preziosa (Courtesy MSC Cruises)
MSC Preziosa (Courtesy MSC Cruises)

MSC Cruises has moved to increase its order of megaships from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to two ships, with an option for third. At a cost of AUD $3.2 billion, this investment signifies a confidence that the cruise holiday industry will only continue to strengthen.
The Italian-Swiss shipping company currently operates 12 cruise liners, running numerous different sea routes simultaneously. The two new ships, currently nicknamed Project Seaside I and Project Seaside II, from Fincantieri are larger in terms of gross tonnage than any of the company’s current liners.
Alongside these recent purchases, MSC Cruises also has two even larger ships in production by STX Europe at the moment.
MSC Cruises chief executive officer Gianni Ornato said that the orders fitted into MSC’s fleet development plan: “Today, MSC Cruises adds the last piece to its new industrial plan that will allow us to double the capacity of our fleet by 2022,” he enthused. “With the arrival of the new ships we will reach a capacity of about 80,000 passengers a day.”
Cruise1st reports that Project Seaside I and II are scheduled to make their maiden voyages in November 2017 and May 2018 respectively. Like all MSC liners, the two megaships will sail under the Panama flag.
ImageBoth of the ships will utilise cutting edge design, architecture and technology, affording the ship unusually large amounts of deck space for the passengers to enjoy. Additionally, a unique sea-level promenade will be incorporated, utilising cantilever technology and featuring a large theatre, terraced balcony and panoramic views from an external passenger lift to the upper deck.
UK and Ireland Managing Director, Giles Hawke, explained: “The idea is to bring passengers closer to sea level so they feel as if they are at the beach.”
Other technologically advanced features include glass deflectors and tunnel technology that will give diners indoors the experience of dining al fresco. This has been implemented to take advantage of the warm weather routes that are being targeted by MSC for the two new liners.
Weighing in at 154,000 tonnes each, the 323 metre-long ships will be able to cater for up to 5,300 passengers in 2,070 cabins. The two ships represent a giant leap forward for MSC Cruises in terms of project size and technological ambition.
MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfranscesco Vago said, “From the moment we started talking with Fincantieri, we had in mind to design and build two completely new ships, revolutionary in their structure, unlike anything that exists on the market today.”
“Seaside is a futuristic prototype because of its structure, shape and versatility. We are getting ready for the new and compelling challenge that the construction of these ships represents. It will be a real revolution in the world’s cruise market, an excellent product for its unique and innovative architectural features and cutting-edge technology.”