S.A. VAAL final departure from Cape Town

Two great images of the passenger liner S.A. VAAL leaving Cape Town for the final time in October 1977 ending the famous Union-Castle / Safmarine Cape Run. 

Original photographs by Trevor Jones of Durban.

S.A. VAAL and her running mate WINDSOR CASTLE were the last Cape mail liners and their demise in late 1977 resulted from increasing operating costs and the advent of containerization on the Europe - South Africa line. 

Emerging passenger ship owner Ted Arison of Carnival was very interested in both ships for conversion into Caribbean tropical cruising ships, but in the end only purchsed the S.A. VAAL, later converted in Japan into the FESTIVALE, Carnival Cruise Line third ship. He intended to purchase the WINDSOR CASTLE later but it was not to be so as the Greek tycoon Mr. John Latsis bought the final Union-Castle flagship and this fine liner became the MARGARITA L.

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Regresso ao Mar é "mais CREOULA"

O Mar é uma das áreas económicas que neste momento são sinónimos de esperança, mas os discursos oficiais são inconsistentes, ninguém fala em navios, que são ignorados e depois essa ignorância gera medo e as nossos cabeças pensantes têm medo do mar e dos navios como normalmente se tem medo daquilo que se ignora ou desconhece.

Uma excepção importante a este estado de coisas é a realidade associada à preservação e operação do Lugre CREOULA, verdadeira escola de Mar em Portugal.

Na imagem, dois aspectos do CREOULA a sair de Lisboa a 21 de Junho último na primeira viagem de Treino de Mar promovida pela Aporvela, com destino à Corunha.

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(Poucas...) Velas no Tejo

O estuário do Tejo tem condições naturais para a prática dos desportos náuticos mas apesar dessa natureza benévola apresenta-se habitualmente deserto de velas e praticantes desportistas.

As razões serão muitas, a começar pela forma como entre nós se olha a vela e a marinha de recreio de forma negativa desde há 40 anos, como dizia há dias um antigo Secretário de Estado da Marinha Mercante e mais tarde das Pescas, o Eng. José Gonçalves Viana:

"...depois do 25 de Abril a Marinha de Recreio passou a ser fascista e a Marinha Mercante colonialista, fez-se tudo para acabar com as duas de forma dramática..."

De facto não se consegue criar um Portugal novo aberto ao Mar e às suas actividades sem mudar o paradigma de cultura marítima, ou da falta dela, e aqui a Marinha de Recreio é fundamental para atrair a juventude para o Mar...

Entretanto o Tejo continua deserto...
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Associação Naval de Lisboa

A ANL - Associação Naval de Lisboa é uma das mais importantes instituições portuguesas ligadas ao mar e aos desportos náuticos, a vela e o remo.

Trata-se da antiga Real Associação Naval, fundada no reinado de D. Pedro V e hoje o mais antigo clube náutico da Península Ibérica e um dos mais prestigiados.

A imagem mostra o brasão do clube na fachada da sede da ANL, à doca de Belém, uma belíssima peça de cerâmica aparentemente a necessitar de restauro.

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SERVIÇO PÚBLICO DE PILOTAGEM

Mais uma iniciativa da APIBARRA e dos PILOTOS portugueses, a reflectir a importância deste serviço público imprescindível. Em Sines na próxima Terça-feira, dia 1 de Julho.

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SAGRES em Las Palmas

A SAGRES visitou o porto de Las Palmas na ilha de Gran Canária onde o nosso amigo Berto Garcia a visitou. Veja a excelente reportagem fotográfica aqui... Foto de Berto Garcia - Las Palmas.

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Paquete FUNCHAL: cruzeiro à África Ocidental

A Portuscale Cruises acaba de anúnciar uma iniciativa fantástica: um cruzeiro do paquete FUNCHAL a África Ocidental com largada de Lisboa a 23 de Novembro próximo e regresso a 23 de Dezembro.

O itinerário é composto por portos de pronúncia mágica para muita gente em Portugal: Mindelo (São Vicente, Cabo Verde), São Tomé, Lobito, Luanda, Bissau.

Pode-se embarcar em Lisboa no dia 23 de Novembro ou no Funchal a 24 de Novembro e pode-se fazer a viagem redonda ou apenas os segmentos Lisboa / Funchal - Luanda ou Luanda - Funchal / Lisboa.

O FUNCHAL vai a Angola pela primeira vez nesta viagem-cruzeiro de longo curso que marca o regresso de um navio de passageiros português a Angola desde 1975.

O FUNCHAL só esteve uma vez na antiga África Ocidental portuguesa , no ano de 1968, quando visitou o arquipélago de Cabo Verde e a Guiné-Bissau ao serviço do Presidente da República. 

Este cruzeiro do 

FUNCHAL tem todos os ingredientes para ser um sucesso: o navio tem a dimensão ideal, o cruzeiro é absolutamente inédito a nível mundial e efectua-se na melhor altura do ano, com a viagem para Sul rumo ao Equador a deixar pela popa quaisquer vestígios de Outono a parecer Inverno, numa altura em que cada dia navegado mostra novos mares e um céu deslumbrante com o Cruzeiro do Sul, aves diferentes, tudo no privilégio absolutamente incrível de se navegar num navio de passageiros que permite uma viagem temporal perfeita - podia ser o INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE ou o PRÍNCIPE PERFEITO, ou o UIGE...

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O submarino verde do Líder Supremo

O chefe de estado da Coreia do Norte, o carismático Líder Supremo Senhor Kim Jong-un divulgou recentemente o álbum fotográfico de um passeio de submarino verde, de fazer esquecer de vez o submarino amarelo dos Beetles. 

Voltando ao submarino verde, as suas características ecológicas e cromáticas têm importância histórica e mesmo no campo da arqueologia militar: trata-se de um submarino da antiga classe ROMEO, de construção soviética, da década de 1950, inspirado nos submarinos alemães da Segunda Guerra Mundial.

O chefe supremo e o seu Green Boat deviam ser classificados como património da humanidade... Aqui fica a sugestão. Percebem agora uma das razões porque Portugal precisa de submarinos? O mundo enloqueceu e não nos podemos distrair, e aqui acabou a brincadeira, depois nem Santa Bárbara nos acode.

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O problema ambiental e os combustíveis para navios a partir de 2015

A União Europeia esmera-se na produção industrial de regras irrealistas e de consequências dramáticas para os diversos Membros, como temos aprendido nestes anos de abusos e ditadura crescente de Bruxelas, desde os chouriços a toda a espécie de insensatez legal que vai fazendo parte do nosso quotidiano de cidadãos pagantes de bico calado. Nada de espantar, basta olhar para o nosso conhecido Presidente Barroso e seus predicados, ou para o simpático e bondoso Olli Rehn cujo percurso de vida teve origem nas juventudes partidárias da Finlândia, da mesma maneira que a geração mais recente de políticos lusos.

É o caso da Política do Mar na generalidade, de filosofia duvidosa, e destas novas medidas destinadas a diminuir a poluição provocada pelos navios, a implementar no início de 2015 sem que tal seja possível materialmente, como tão bem analisa este texto da Reuters que aqui respigamos. Claro que haverá interesses industriais a promover estas cruzadas, como os vendedores de novos equipamentos, muito caros e sem resultados comprovados até agora, como me referiu há dias alguém a bordo do primeiro grande paquete equipado com a nova tecnologia de "scrubbers" que visitou Lisboa: "A produção e desenvolvimento destes equipamentos está na sua infância, ninguém sabe exactamente os verdadeiros resultados e a eficiência efectiva destas tecnologias em fase de desenvolvimento na actualidade..." E depois há que seguir as políticas "correctas" custe o que custar, alguém paga a conta no final.

Europe set for compliance chaos with with new ship fuel sulphur rules 

Northern European regulators will face a battle with many shipping companies over new EU rules aimed at cutting pollution from ship fuels as some owners are likely to find it cheaper to pay fines than to comply. Ships are typically powered by heavy fuel oil or bunker oil, both of which produce harmful pollutants such as sulphur dioxide which can cause respiratory and heart problems. Such fuels contain 2.5 to 3 percent sulphur on average, which is up to 3,000 times the sulphur content of road fuel in Europe, according to marine campaigners Seas at Risk. Under EU rules from Jan. 1, 2015, all ships operating in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and English Channel will have to use a fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1 percent. Ship owners can comply by changing fuels, such as to low-sulphur marine gasoil, which can cost four times as much as high-sulphur bunker fuel. Or they can use bunker fuel and fit a “scrubber”, a technology that filters out pollutant gases before they are released into the atmosphere. This costs as much as 3 million euros ($4 million) for a small vessel – often more than the value of the ship itself – and as much as 12 million euros for a larger ship, and it could take up to two years for every ship to be fitted. Another option is to use liquefied natural gas (LNG -0.29%, news), but ships would need expensive retrofitting, and there is not yet a reliable 

supply chain in place for LNG. “Neither of these options (scrubbers and LNG) can easily be deployed by January 2015,” the International Energy Agency said this week. Many shipping firms have complained about the costs of meeting the regulation, saying it will damage competitiveness and lead to job losses. All ships worldwide, however, will be subject to a limit of 0.5 percent sulphur content in fuels by 2020 under rules by the International Maritime Organization, which are still subject to a feasibility review. Maersk Line, the world’s biggest ship container group, said switching to low-sulphur fuel under the EU rules will cost it an extra $200 million a year. P&O Ferries’ fuel bill will rise by 30 million pounds ($50 million) a year, which it said it would pass onto customers. “On longer routes fares will need to rise more than on shorter ones to cover the greater increase in fuel costs,” P&O Ferries Chief Executive Helen Debbie wrote in a letter to staff, which was seen by Reuters. There is also the risk that some firms will find it cheaper to pay fines for not complying with the limits than pay upfront capital costs to change fuels or fit technology. “The potential for not following the regulations is there, because you can save a lot of money. It is so significant that over time companies in compliance may not even be able to compete with companies who are not in compliance,” said Mads Stensen, global adviser on sustainability at Maersk Line. Britain-based ferry group Red Funnel has been using low-sulphur fuel for 18 years, however, and a spokeswoman said the company has maintained its competitiveness through efficiency improvements. Apart from the costs, there is also a lack of clarity about how enforcement will work. Each EU member state is responsible for deciding its own methods of enforcement including penalties, according to the European Commission. Industry sources say many countries have yet to decide on the level of fines, how to monitor the sulphur content of fuel or how often to check ships. spokeswoman at Britain’s transport ministry said the government was still in consultations on the new sulphur regime. “Repeat offenders could potentially be subject to penalties other than fines, including the detention of their vessels until such time as compliant fuel was supplied,” she said. Britain’s shipping minister, Stephen Hammond, said the government was trying to secure EU finance to compensate ship owners and ports for the higher fuel costs. Source: Reuters (By Jonathan Saul and Nina Chestney, editing by Jane Baird)

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Os negócios das Bandeiras...

Li hoje esta notícia com aroma a comunicado de imprensa relativamente aos sucessos do registo de navios da Madeira, que tem vindo a aumentar a sua penetração junto de navios de propriedade europeia. Isto numa fase em que o registo Mar foi classificado como cinzento pelo MOU de Paris e a bandeira portuguesa sofre as consequências dos cortes cegos no Estado, nomeadamente nos organismos oficiais ligados aos transportes marítimos.
O último relatório do Paris MOU em Port State Control colocou Portugal de volta à lista cinzenta, sendo com a Bulgária um dos dois únicos Estados membros da União Europeia em tal situação. Para além desta classificação extremamente embaraçosa e desagradável, Portugal também não faz parte da lista de “low risk countries” pois trata-se do único Estado Membro do Paris MoU e da Área Económica Europeia que não se submeteu à auditoria IMO VIMSAS - Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme. A manter-se esta situação será uma questão de tempo até a bandeira portuguesa deixar de ser reconhecida internacionalmente.

Voltando ao Registo Mar, refira-se que este segundo registo português foi "inventado" pela antiga Associação Portuguesa dos Armadores da Marinha Mercante no final da década de 1980, em plena fase de desmantelamento dos transportes marítimos portugueses, por forma a trazer para a bandeira portuguesa os navios ligados a operadores portugueses embandeirados em registos de conveniência, essencialmente por terem sido adquiridos em regimes "leasing" e os financiadores estrangeiros exigirem uma bandeira que lhes desse primazia nas hipotecas. Nasceu assim o MAR em 1989, inaugurado pelo navio DIOGO BERNARDES da Portline. O MAR desenvolveu-se como registo de conveniência à medida que os navios de propriedade portuguesa foram sendo vendidos e hoje traduz uma actividade internacional em concorrência com outras outras bandeiras mais abertas, caso de Malta e Chipre no seio da UE, ou as Bahamas, a Libéria ou o Panamá numa perspectiva mais internacional: uma actividade económica que gerará alguns empregos e receitas para a Zona Franca da Madeira, mas que pouco tem a ver com a realidade da marinha mercante portuguesa, ou, melhor, o seu desaparecimento, numa terra em que se brincou aos navios e ainda se brinca com bandeiras. Claro que nada disto é politicamente correcto, mas a economia de casino mundializada funciona assim. Entretanto deixo-vos o "press release do MAR":

Portugal’s second shipping register, the International Shipping Register of Madeira (MAR), is currently the strongest-growing flag in Europe. In the last six months, MAR’s fleet has increased by more than 60 new vessels representing net growth of 130% in terms of tonnage. Among the new entrants to the register are vessels owned by more than 20 of Germany’s leading companies. The remarkable growth has been achieved since Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Madeira (SDM), the official body responsible for promoting MAR, established a strategic partnership with European Mar Lda (Euromar) in Funchal and Hamburg, run by former Liberian Registry executives Dr Albrecht Gundermann and Captain JörgMolzahn. “MAR’s exceptional growth rate compares most favourably with other European registries and reflects the work and attention to detail the register has undertaken in cooperation with Euromar,” says Roy Garibaldi, Executive Senior Manager at SDM. “Thanks to the political support that is provided to make the register more competitive and to the robust addition of young, high quality vessels flying the Portuguese flag, MAR’s future is extremely positive and the register is firmly on course to move from strength to strength,” Mr Garibaldi adds.

The growth achieved over the last six months is also remarkable given that the register was listed temporarily on the Paris MOU Grey List due to problems two years ago. “This was the unfortunate consequence of one insolvent owner suffering six detentions and the company in question no longer operates vessels under the Portuguese flag,” says Mr Garibaldi. 

The Paris MOU does not display data on the existing quality of ships flying the Portuguese flag and without the six incidents MAR would not have been statistically downgraded. MAR responded urgently to the temporary listing by immediately instituting policies thoroughly evaluating tonnage before registration and performing highly detailed pre-inspections on vessels older than 15 years seeking to join the register. “Registers with a small fleet are more in danger of suffering a statistical downgrade, as shown by the way that a single company affected us,” says Mr Garibaldi. “The most effective remedy to this is the strong growth which MAR has achieved recently and it is only a matter of a short period of time before MAR is restored to the Paris MOU White List, where it has been for many years.”

Significantly, the temporary listing has had no effect on Portuguese flag ships because international Port State Control (PSC) regimes have rules and practices in such circumstances which do not differentiate between White and Grey-listed flags. “And owners operating under other European Union flags who have been targeted by US Coast Guard in previous years and ships flying other EU flags which have been on the Tokyo MOU Grey List have also confirmed that there are no practical disadvantages from such temporary statistical evaluation,” says Mr Garibaldi.“Clearly, it was daunting and most challenging to be listed temporarily by the Paris MOU because of one single owner. But MAR faced the consequences and took immediate and the necessary actions and clearly the measures will be paying off.” Further strong growth is expected over the course of the next few years, coming mostly from German owners but also from Greece, France and Norway. The registry will soon start offering broad services online to match.

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Navios de Lisboa: porta-contentores ELITE

O porta-contentores holandês ELITE a sair de Lisboa no Sábado, dia 21 de Junho de 2014. Trata-se de um visitante regular do nosso porto, em serviço feeder entre Portugal e o Norte da Europa. Nesta viagem procedia de Setúbal e seguiu para Leixões.
O navio é operado pela companhia JR Shipping, de Harlingen, Holanda em cujo site se pode consultar as características principais do ELITE.

ELITE (2005- )

ex-MSC BATAVE (2005-2007), HOLLAND MAAS BATAVE (2005), lançado à água como ELITE (2005-03-27)

Navio porta-contentores a motor, construído de aço, em 2004-2005. Nº.IMO: 9315018; Indicativo de chamada: PHDA. Arqueação bruta: 11 662 GT; Arqueação líquida: 7 284 Net tons; Porte bruto: 13 682 DW tons; Capacidade de carga: 1008 TEUs (720 Teu's carregados com 14T), incluindo 150 TEUs frigoríficos. Aparelho de carga: não tem. Comprimento ff.: 149,14 m; Comprimento pp.: 139,11 m; Boca: 22,50 m; Pontal: 11,30 m; Calado: 8,71 m. Máquina: 1 motor diesel Mak de 9 cilindros, modelo 9M43 com 8 400 kW a 500 rpm; 1 hélice. Velocidade: 18,20 nós. Bandeira: Holanda. Porto de registo: Harlingen.

O porta-contentores ELITE foi construído em Mangália, Roménia pelo estaleiro Daewoo – Mangalia (Contrução 4051), em regime de subcontratação e acabado no estaleiro J. J. Sietas, em Hamburgo, Alemanha, (Construção 1245) por encomenda do armador MS "ELITE" Bewaarder B.V., (J.R.Shipping), de Harlingen, Holanda. Quilha assente a 28-03-2004, lançado à água a 27-03-2005 com o nome ELITE e entregue ao armador a 11-07-2005 com o nome HOLLAND MASS BATAVE. Características iniciais diferentes das actuais: Arqueação bruta: 9 981 GT; Porte bruto: 11 243 DW tons; Capacidade de carga: 868 TEUs. Aparelho de carga: não tem. Comprimento ff.: 134,4 m; Comprimento pp.: 124,4 m. Em 2007-12 foi alongado com a inserção de uma nova secção de casco com 14,7 m de comprimento. O navio tem operado fretado a operadores diversos com os nomes referidos acima.

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Estreia do MEIN SCHIFF 3 em Lisboa

Lisboa, 19 de Junho de 2014: o MEIN SCHIFF 3 - o mais moderno navio de cruzeiros do mundo, acabado de construir na Finlândia - fez hoje a sua estreia em Lisboa no decurso do cruzeiro inaugural que teve início em Hamburgo e vai terminar em Palma de Maiorca.

O MEIN SCHIFF 3 tem 99 000 TB e capacidade para 2 500 passageiros, sendo o primeiro navio construído de propósito para a companhia TUI Cruises, depois de os dois MEIN SCHIFF 1 e 2 terem sido transferidos pelo grupo Royal Caribbean ( sócio na TUI Cruise com o Grupo alemão TUI). 

No estaleiro STX Finland, de Turku, está a ser construído um segundo navio da mesma série, com entrega prevista para 2015, o MEIN SCHIFF 4.

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CAMPOLIDE e SVITZER LEIXOES

Cacilheiro CAMPOLIDE cruzando se com o SVITZER LEIXOES no Tejo na manh\a de 14 de Junho de 2014
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Navio de cruzeiros TRAFARIA PRAIA

Navio de cruzeiros fluviais TRAFARIA PRAIA numa das suas viagens diarias no Tejo com partidas do Cais do Sodre.
Imagens registadas a 14 de Junho de 2014.

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Os vapores das ilhas...

Anúncios de viagens aos Açores dos paquetes CARVALHO ARAÚJO e LIMA relativas a Dezembro de 1933, o CARVALHO era novo, acabado de construir em Itália em 1930, o LIMA nem tanto, datava de 1907 e fazia a linha das ilhas desde 1923.

Estes navios pareciam ser eternos, ainda os conheci bem e o CARVALHO ARAÚJO fez a ultima viagem aos Açores em 1970, o LIMA dois anos antes...

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AMÉLIA DE MELLO: o paquete branco

Comprado em Israel em 1966 pela Sociedade Geral para fazer a carreira de Angola, o paquete AMÉLIA DE MELLO ex ZION tinha a particularidde de ser o único dos grandes navios de passageiros portugueses com casco branco. Os navios da Colonial tinham cascos cinzento esverdeado, os da Nacional cascos azuis claros e antes disso cinzentos claros e os da Insulana eram pretos. 

Claro que haviam o quarteto da Sociedade Geral também de casco branco, (ALFREDO DA SILVA, ANA MAFALDA, RITA MARIA e MANUEL ALFREDO), mas esses eram navios muito mistos, mais cargueiros e mais pequenos. 

Branco mesmo, como muitos dos navios de passageiros estrangeiros que visitavam Lisboa e o Funchaln a segunda metade da década de 1960, só mesmo o AMÉLIA DE MELLO, um bonito navio, que navegou pouco mais de 5 anos com a bandeira portuguesa e acabou comprado pelo armador grego Vlassopulos em 1972. Rebocado para Bilbao, foi reconstruído para cruzeiros e passou a chamar-se ITHACA e mais tarde DOLPHIN, tendo navegado muitos anos em cruzeiros entre a Florida e as Bahamas...

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Veleiros da Escola Naval

A Escola Naval tem à sua disposição não só a barca SAGRES, que é o Navio-escola oficial da Marinha Portuguesa, mas uma série de veleiros de menores dimensões, caso do N/E POLAR e deste veleiro que fotografámos na manhã de 14 de Junho de 2014 a navegar frente ao Caramujo. 

Não conseguimos identificar o nome, alguém nos ajuda?

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FINCANTIERI soma e segue

MILAN, June 13 (Reuters) – Italian state-owned shipmaker Fincantieri aims to make its debut on the Milan bourse in July with a stock market value of up to 1.84 billion euros ($2.5 billion), it said on Friday.

Fincantieri, maker of vessels ranging from luxury yachts to military aircraft carriers, said in a statement it would offer a stake of up to 38.2 percent stake, mostly made up of new shares, at a price range between 0.78 euros and 1 euro per share.

That would value the company, based in the northeastern port city of Trieste, at between 1.57 billion euros and 1.84 billion, and the initial public share offering up to 704 million euros.

The flotation – the bulk of which will be reserved for institutional investors – starts on Monday, the same day as that of UniCredit’s online banking unit Fineco.

Fincantieri is wholly controlled by Fintecna, itself owned by state financial holding Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.

The proceeds of up to 600 million euros from the issue will be used to bolster Financtieri’s finances.

Fintecna can at best cash in 200 million euros from the listing, meaning the Italian treasury does not stand to gain much from the privatisation. ($1 = 0.7345 Euros) (Reporting by Elisa Anzolin; Writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by David Holmes)

The Fincantieri formula for success is time-tested. Combine the the best naval architecture and marine engineering minds in the business with expansive facilities and computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. Add to this a seasoned and motivated workforce with a rich history of delivering on time and within contracted costs for both government and commercial vessels. Drive each of these elements with the innovative thinking and enterprising spirit that is the foundation of the Fincantieri 

Marine Group.

FMG is a subsidiary of Fincantieri, one of Europe’s largest shipbuilders with a track record dating back 200 years and a history of building more than 7,000 ships. Fincantieri is making substantial capital investments in each of the four FMG shipyards in order to take performance and quality to new levels.

The FMG shipyards have a distinguished history of building quality ships. Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin, was founded in 1942 and has built more than 1,500 vessels for government and commercial clients. Bay Shipbuilding traces its roots in building Great Lakes vessels back to 1918. A new shipyard, ACE Marine, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is an all-aluminum shipbuilder and is the builder of the Response Boat Medium for the United States Coast Guard.

FMG offers complete marine solutions. It has a large and experienced naval architecture and marine engineering staff, and provides cost-effective answers to complex marine transportation challenges. FMG’s climate-controlled facilities are modern and expansive, and purpose-designed for maximum manufacturing efficiency under the highest standards of quality control. The FMG workforce is both highly trained and skilled, and committed to safe operation. All of this is backed by a hands-on management team clearly focused on client satisfaction.

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Cruise ships by Fincantieri

The success achieved by Fincantieri in the cruise ships business stems from a long tradition. 

Already in the early 1900s the two shipbuilding centres of Genoa and Trieste were unrivalled players at world level building ships which already then stood out for their design, elegant interior furnishings and engineering solutions. 

Of the many ships built the Rex is worthy of special mention as possibly the most famous, classical Italian transatlantic liner, the epitome of luxury and elegance. Built at Genoa shipyard, the Rex is remembered for winning the Blue Riband in 1933, having beaten the record for crossing the Atlantic, a record won by few other transatlantic liners. 

Fincantieri was one of the first in the 1980s to take up the opportunity of the new trend in the cruise tourist industry and it approached the market by drawing on its experience and prestige acquired in previous decades as builder of transatlantic liners. 

The Crown Princess, delivered in 1990, is perhaps one of the most beautiful ships of our time with its dolphin skyline evoking the sea, designed by Renzo Piano. This ship is the forefather of a fleet of over 50 cruise ships built by Fincantieri, flag bearers of technology and design, engineering capacity and creativity. 

The leadership gained with a distinctive product “Made in Italy”, is the result of top quality and a privileged relationship with the best international customers. 

Our customers, who are mainly the world’s leading cruise companies, know they can rely on an integrated construction system which exploits, in addition to one of the world’s most advanced industrial procedures and processes, a large and qualified network of subcontractors and suppliers who provide furnishings, supply services and create interiors with the care and attention of our best tradition of craftsmanship and the class of all-Italian design. 

Thanks to its constant attention to Research and Innovation, Fincantieri continually develops new generations of ships in order to follow, indeed often anticipate, demand from the market and ship owners. 

Fincantieri serves all the sectors of the cruise market with a wide range of vessels which includes postpanamax and panamax ships as well as medium-small super luxury vessels or ships for special voyage types (expedition cruise, etc.) 

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Ferries

Availing itself of highly diversified, in-depth technological know-how and skills, Fincantieri is capable of designing and building a full range of merchant ships (chemical tankers, gas carriers, RoRos, ferries, etc.). 

The company specialises in the construction of ferries for passengers and vehicles. In this sector Fincantieri provides its customers with a complete range (from cruise ferries to Ropax and High Speed Ferries), together with the capacity to understand the needs of the shipowners designing tailor made vessels within contained construction lead-times. 

Fincantieri products benefit from design and construction solutions from cruise shipbuilding. The customer portfolio includes some of the main Italian and foreign ship owners: Grimaldi, Moby, Tirrenia, Finnlines, Tallink, Neptune, P&O Ferries, SNCM, Minoan, to name but a few. Since 1998 Fincantieri has designed and built a fleet of 23 ferries in service for the community, sailing on the new Motorways of the Sea.

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Naval Vessels

The history of Fincantieri in the field of naval vessels counts over 2,000 vessels built for the Italian Navy and many foreign navies. 

Fincantieri is able to design and build a wide range of surface ships, aircraft carriers, frigates, corvettes, patrol vessels, in addition to support ships and submarines. 

Ships are assisted throughout the course of their whole life with the provision of logistical support and post sales services as the company is able to guarantee both planning of maintenance and the execution of work of an ordinary or extraordinary nature and refitting at Fincantieri facilities or at a site chosen by the customer. 

The company is the reference partner of the Italian Navy for the design, construction and logistical support of the surface fleet and submarines in addition to boasting a consolidated relationship with other State bodies. 

Fincantieri has well-proven products, which provide high operating standards alongside optimised costs thanks to the use of design and construction solutions tried and tested in the merchant field. 

The company can work as Warship Design Authority and Prime Contractor. 

In the naval field Fincantieri provides its customers with a dedicated structure made up of a design centre in Genoa and a flexible, integrated production system of two shipyards at Muggiano and Riva Trigoso. 

Fincantieri is partner to some of the main companies in the defence sector within the framework of supranational programmes. The more recent co-operations have included one with the German Submarine Consortium for the construction of submarines for the German and Italian Navies, one with the French company DCN in the Orizzonte and FREMM programmes, and one with the team of Lockheed Martin Corp in the programme of Littoral Combat Ships for the US Navy.

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Fincantieri Yachts

We’ve built over 7000 ships, so at Fincantieri we know quite a bit about the sea and how to build top-of-the-range seagoing vessels of all types. One of the secrets is understanding their differences. For example, we know that a Mega-yacht is unique, not just a luxurious passenger ship, but rather she’s a very special statement of her owner’s success, sophistication and style. 

With this in mind, we made the strategic decision to pursue excellence at the very top of the yacht market and set up Fincantieri Yachts as an autonomous division, totally focussed on building yachts larger than 70 metres (230ft). 

We gave them a highly-skilled and dedicated team and made sure they’re supported by Fincantieri’s best in-house experts as well as world-renowned consultants and suppliers. 

This gives Fincantieri Yachts all that’s needed to develop the unique technical, industrial, organizational, regulatory and project management solutions required to produce first-class yachts. 

We also understand that not all yacht owners have the same ideas. Some want to create, with their own designers, completely new, unique and distinctive vessels, specifically designed to their own vision, and we’re ready to develop and build these projects for them. 

But other owners prefer to build upon an exclusive existing design. So, for them, we joined with some of the world’s most prestigious international yacht designers to create five concept designs: “Project Light” 80 metres, “Project Mars” 90 metres, “Project X-Vintage” 99 metres, “Project Armonia” 142 metres and “Project Fortissimo” 145 metres. Although technically detailed, these concept designs are intended to be adapted to any owner’s specific desires. 

Why Fincantieri Yachts? Within Fincantieri Yachts, we’ve assembled all of the elements needed to build top-of-the-range mega-yachts, bringing a little bit of Italian magic, to offer yacht owners a construction experience which is smooth, professional and focused on quality as well as being creative, exciting and personally rewarding.

Fincantieri Yachts

Viale San Bartolomeo, 446

19126 Muggiano (SP) Italy

Ph: +39 0187 543 238 Fax: +39 0187 543 239

EMail: fincantieriyachts@fincantieri.it

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Ship repairs and conversions

Fincantieri has been providing services to the Shiprepair and Conversion sector since its launching in 1959. Then, utilising the services of dedicated Companies which were initiated in 1992, Fincantieri established itself as one of the largest direct providers of drydocks and shiprepair services in the Mediterranean. This activity has developed into a specialised Marine Services business unit, which is technically and commercially able to respond quickly and efficiently to client needs and which provides all the required support for ship repair, conversion and other specialised projects. 

Dedicated resources for this activity include the large shipyard in Palermo which comprises several workshops, deep quays and drydocks (400,000DWT Max), two docks (250,000DWT Max) at Trieste ATSM, and a dock (40,000DWT Max) at the Muggiano yard in La Spezia. 

Fincantieri offers ship owners a wealth of experience encompassing a full range of interventions on all types of vessels which, when required, can be supplemented by the capabilities and resources of the shipbuilding and other divisions within the company. 

The shiprepair and conversion business unit also includes steel fabrication for marine, offshore and onshore applications and is evaluating possibilities to diversify into activities which offer synergy with its capabilities, resources and central Mediterranean location. 

Fincantieri works as prime contractor in the field of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, conversion/upgrading providing technical support and assistance in drawing up and managing maintenance programmes, in accurately estimating the length of time the ship will be out of service and in addition, coordinating and carrying out purchasing activities up till execution of the work in the shipyard. 

Wide-ranging technical skills and consolidated production and technological capacities enable the company to satisfy all the customer’s requirements, with the guarantee of high quality services and contained delivery time frames. 

Comentário LMC: o Grupo Fincantieri é um conjunto de empresas públicas de grande expressão mundial pela qualidade e inovação. Tenho pena que em Portugal o esforço de criação de uma indústria naval moderna desenvolvido a partir da década de 1930, com o Arsenal do Alfeite, o Estaleiro da CUF, Viana do Castelo e todos os outros acabando na Lisnave e Setenave não tenha proporcionado um polo de desenvolvimento semelhante. Em Portugal, quanto mais engenheiros navais formamos no Técnico, menos indústria naval temos. Olhe-se para todos os estaleiros fechados, nomeadamente Viana, olhe-se para a vergonha que é todo o processo do navio de passageiros ATLÂNTIDA, e reflicta-se na necessidade urgente de mudar procedimentos e formas de trabalhar com o interesse público sempre em consideração, ou pensam que alguma vez seremos capazes de regressar ao Mar sem navios e sem meios para os projectarmos, construir e explorar?

Navio de passageiros ATLÂNTIDA, atracado no Alfeite a 14 de Junho de 2014. Fotografia de Luís Miguel Correia

Notícia da Reuters. Texto adicional de / News released by Reuters with comments by L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

Dia da Marinha do Tejo

Festa marítima no Terreiro do Paço, com a comemoração do Dia da Marinha do Tejo.

Fotografias tiradas ao fim da manhã de 14 de Junho de 2014.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia