Today saw the respected Italian builder Fincatieri celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the 67m motor yacht Destriero at its Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard. Destriero superyacht is the fastest motor yacht in the world which crossed the Atlantic from New York to the British coast in 2 days, 10 hours and 34 minutes setting a record in 1992 which still remains unbeaten.
67m megayacht Destriero by Fincantieri
The monohull, built in 1991 in less than a year by Fincantieri, sailed 3,106 nautical miles without refueling, from Ambrose Light, New York to Bishop Rock lightship on the Scilly Isles, England, in 58 hours at an average speed of 53 knots (reaching peaks of 70), and won once more the Blue Riband which in 1933 had been awarded to the legendary transatlantic liner, the Rex.
Present at the event were Corrado Antonini, Chairman of Fincantieri, Cesare Fiorio, head of the Destriero Challenge program and Aldo Benedetti, second-in-command of the luxury yacht Destriero.
Built at the shipyards of Muggiano and Riva Trigoso, the Destriero superyacht was the largest ship in light alloy ever to be constructed and one of the vessels with the highest concentration of efficiency, power and technology. At 67 metres long with a beam of 13 metres and 60,000 HP, the Destriero megayacht could reach average speeds of over 60 knots. Record figures, the pride of Italy, a result based on a wealth of experience in the construction of ships gained by Fincantieri in the course of over two centuries. The Destriero marked for Fincantieri the beginning of the production of a new generation of high speed vessels with consequent benefits for commercial development.
The challenge of the Destriero started with the aim to break the record for crossing the Atlantic, for which the Blue Riband has been awarded since 1838. Later, in 1935 winners of the Blue Riband were also awarded the Hales Trophy, following a proposal from a British MP, Harold Hales. The competition regulations allow merchant vessels to participate provided that, during an in Atlantic crossing, from East to West, they meet certain requirements: to have mail on board, paying passengers and a professional crew. The Destriero superyacht follows in the wake of this tradition; her challenge to the Atlantic starts from a passion for naval technology, from Ismaili Prince Karim Aga Khan, who sponsored the initiative, supported by leading testimonials of Italian industry and culture of the time, from the Fiat of Gianni Agnelli, to the IRI of Franco Nobili and other numerous sponsors.
To mark the occasion a photographic exhibition has been arranged by Fincantieri Foundation, celebrating the enterprise of the shipyard, the ship and her crew.
Muggiano facility, naval know-how, naval craftsmanship and a driving force for the supply chain
Muggiano facility is perhaps one of the best examples of the strategy of flexibility and business diversification pursued by Fincantieri, a strategy which aims at dual exchange of civilian and naval technologies which enables the company to be present in a number of market segments. Indeed Muggiano are the headquarters of Fincantieri Yachts, which is dedicated solely to designing and building yachts of over 70 metres long.
Muggiano shipyards have at least three special features. First, great versatility, an excellent example of flexibility and integrated production which lie at the heart of the spirit of Fincantieri. Not only are naval vessels fitted out here, as, in recent times the aircraft carrier Cavour, flagship of the Italian Navy, the FREMM frigates, the destroyers Caio Duilio and Andrea Doria or submarines as the U212A, but also offshore structures, special ships and every type of construction of high added value.
Second, as a naval shipyard with the co-presence naval and civilian production, it is more easily able to foster osmosis between the different technologies, especially from the naval to the civilian field. One can take, for example the reduction of noise and vibration – required by highly demanding customers such as in the yacht market – this technology was adapted from what Fincantieri has developed and used to make submarines non- interceptable.
Finally, the bay of La Spezia is perfectly and equidistantly positioned from the temples of luxury sailing: the Côte d’Azur, Costa Smeralda, Versilia, areas which constitute a true “nautical centre”, where there are concentrated the main suppliers and operators in the sector.
Within Muggiano facility, which boasts 60,000 square metres of covered space, there is the Head Office and Design Centre of the Mega Yachts Unit, a modern dedicated shed over 170 metres long and 36 wide for the construction of yachts up to 160 metres long.
Last but not least, since armed guards are constantly on duty at the facility and thanks to the fact that it is in a “no fly zone”, the shipyard affords greater peace of mind to “reserved” customers who are usually most attentive to secrecy while their “jewels” are being conceived.
But the real strength of the yachts division are the scores of men and women who make up the staff, blue collar workers and highly qualified craftsmen, managers, engineers, technicians, who work every day to create vessels which are the personal belongings of the highest value in the world. A yacht of these dimensions and this level of furnishings indeed is worth on average approximately 2 million Euros per linear metre and this can give an idea of the importance, in terms of economic repercussions and workloads for Italian shipyards, for the workforce, for all the small and medium enterprises in the supply chain which are in the Fincantieri galaxy.
