SUPERYACHT #517
May 2005
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
articles, images and yachting news
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Article by
Franca Urbani
Vincenzo Poerio
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5th YACHTMASTERS AZIMUT/BENETTI
Livorno Challenge
The fifth Yachtmasters Azimut/Benetti took place in Chamonix this year
and was a "high in altitude" event either on sport or on cultural
point of view.
Cheerfulness and enthusiasm marked the first day dedicated to the
skiing - race organized for Benetti's captains and sponsors as
well equipped as downhillers: they were actually unrecognizable,
while attention and interest marked the second day when the very
elegantly dressed guest speakers took turns to make 14 speeches in
the nineteenth - century - styled conference - hall of the
Majestic Hotel.
The organization of the event offered by Azimut/Benetti together with
the sponsors Asea, Boero, First Call, Dockwise, Yacht Transport,
Caterpillar, Club 328 and VT Naiad was perfect as usually it is.
Bert Nieuvenhuizen, marketing manager of Boero said us: - This
sport event have got a so great echo in the nautical field that
many firms decided to invest in advertising relating their own
image to that of both captains and Azimut/Benetti yard.
The engineer Vincenzo Poerio, general manager of "Cantieri
Benetti" opened the meeting giving meaningful data of the
developing trend of the international superyachts' market: the
2.481 units of the year 1995 get up to 5.272 in 2005 with an
increase of 112%. Superyachts over 70 metres in length are
contrariwise 250.
Besides building new yachts Azimut/Benetti wants to offer its own
customers better and better assistance services by developing the
service network divided into warranty, maintenance, and refit &
spare parts activities. Moreover, the shipyard intends to invest
in training; for this reason a training school for crews founded
together with UCINA actually works in Viareggio. Among the most
considerable investments in marinas there are to be noticed both
the construction of "Porto di Varazze" and "Porto di Livorno", the
greatest challenge indeed. Mr. Poerio closed his speech giving
great attention to the human resources involved in building year
on year even greater yachts: in building yachts from 24 to 150
metres in length the number of the units varies between five and
fifty people. Since the market is more and more interested in even
greater yachts Azimut/Benetti has set up a joint - venture with
Fincantieri: yachts over 70 metres in length will be designed at
Fincantieri in Trieste but built at the yard in Muggiano.
Then the engineer Salvatore Pisciotta general manager of the
"Shiprepair Yacht Service Refit" in Livorno took the world and
explained to us: "Our group aims to maintain a leader position in
the various international boats shows classifications in which the
Azimut/Benetti has been classed first. With regard to the human
resources in Livorno the today's 1.300 working units will raise up
to 1.800 people, having spent 26.000 hours in "training courses".
While the engineer Pisciotta was speaking and images and data were
passing on the screw right behind him it was possible to
understand that the realization of the world - wide greatest
superyachts' building and assistance centre was and is a huge
challenge indeed. This venture has already required an investment
cost of ?75.000 millions.
Livorno is a historic city lying in a central and strategic zone
of the Mediterranean Sea costs. The new relaunch project regarding
the Marina of Livorno was born thanks to an agreement between the
Italian Government, the region Tuscany and the commune Livorno.
The production areas are addressed to build steel and aluminium
yachts up to 70 metres in length, while the building of fibreglass
yachts remains in Viareggio. In the "Porto di Livorno", the
greatest assistance centre facing the Mediterranean Sea, a new
public marina will bear; the project will feature an urban
renovation too. With regard to the shipyard in June huge sheds
will actually ready to build any type of yacht. As it was already
possible to understand from the renderings on the screen, in
addition to, the project layout features both a private marina
providing 2.500 berths and a residential area including stores,
offices, fleets and arrangements for crews.
Also the speech by Andrea Piantini, marketing manager of
Fincantieri, made bystanders feel interest in the way he spoke of
a new age while remembering a lot about the past of this famous
group: two hundred years of history, 7.000 ships and 30
superyachts launched. Fincantieri is the leader group in the
cruising ship market segment and represents the world - wide
Italian excellence in both researches and construction thanks to
features like high - technology, beautiful - designing, high
performances, reliability and efficiency. The strategic joint
venture between Azimut/Benetti and Fincantieri signed on 24 October
2004 at Fort Lauderdale features an exchange of know - how between
the two groups since Fincantieri has a unique experience in
building big ships as well as Azimut/Benetti has in building leisure
yachts. This collaboration will going to develop passion for
quality and detailing by building great - finished yachts
delivered in the shortest time. Moreover, the full reliability of
this great group will be provided focusing the attention on
customers. Eleven speeches followed wholly dedicated to the
leisure crafts question. At the Yachtmasters event we met
Professor Dario Boote that teaches Shipbuilding at both
Engineering and Architecture; moreover, since 1991 he teaches at
the ex "Scuola Diretta a Fini Speciali" in La Spezia, namely the
Naval Engineering of today.
I asked him something about the yearly most interesting news:
"Born in 2000 in Santa Margherita as professional up - to - dating
meeting for Benetti's captains, the Yachtmasters has made great
strides thanks to skills and eye of the organizers Alexandra
Guillard, for example, and of the marketing manager, the
engineering Stefano Grasselli" The report of the engineer Lorenzo
Pollicardo - UCINA - about the most meaningful news concerning
either the current or the future rules regarding superyachts was
as well interesting as many other speeches introducing fully new
themes. Doubtlessly the most meaningful contributes of the whole
day was the introduction of either the joint venture between
Azimut/Benetti e Fincantieri made for building yachts over 70 metres in
length or the new shipyard in Livorno providing the latest
structures like the new sincrolift of 2.500 tons allowing the
maintenance of yachts up to 70 metres in length.
I would underline the importance of this joint venture with
Fincantieri that can boast yachts like "Trinacria", still one of
the greatest yachts today and the very famous "Destriero" that won
the "Nastro Azzurro" as the transatlantic "Rex". Embarking on this
enterprise the Fincantieri can effectively acts against all its
rivals while boasting a unique experience in building either great
high - tech ships like military ships or giant cruising ships or
the latest fast ferries: in this building field the Fincantieri
competes with the Italian Rodriguez.
Among the eleven speeches it is to be noticed the shipboard
database of "Idea" that Azimut/Benetti fit up aboard all its yachts.
The system manages all fittings and equipments on board relating
with technology and set up of all yacht's components, from the
engine to the washer. Moreover, two speeches about dynamic and
static anti - rolling systems were very interesting too: the first
of them concerns active fins while the second regards the latest
anti - rolling system when a craft is at the anchor. This system
bases upon the principle of increasing the additional water
masses, so - called water ballasts, achieved through two immersed
ports that, when opened, let water flood into the vessel
increasing water ballasts, that the craft has to lift while
rolling. Also the final introduction of the Sacn -Eye, an
equipment by Boero providing the painting quality control, from
the inside structure up to the external area, was very interesting."
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