The production of yachts for pleasure boating and luxury cruises is a cornerstone of the Marche region’s economy, employing over 10,000 people. This includes around 3,000 involved in refitting and more than 7,000 specialized suppliers. These insights emerged during the Envisioning Yachting Excellence Summit (EYES), organized in Ancona by the Marche Yachting and Cruising Association, the Marche Region, and ATIM, the region’s tourism and internationalization agency.
Collaboration and innovation
Maurizio Minossi, President of the Marche Yachting and Cruising Association, emphasized the importance of a united front among the 28 member companies and local institutions to enhance training, foster international competitiveness, and strengthen ties with universities. Gianfranco Zinni, Deputy Mayor of Ancona, highlighted the city’s historical role as a hub for luxury shipbuilding, combining craftsmanship with technological innovation.
Internationalization and regional promotion
During the event, the participation at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2024 was discussed, made to promote superyacht production and refitting. Simultaneously, the “Let’s Marche” campaign aims to position the region as an alternative to overtourism, emphasizing its natural, cultural, and gastronomic offerings.
Quality and sustainability
Andrea Maria Antonini, Councillor for Economic Development, praised the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, which excels in design and quality. He also stressed the commitment to innovation and sustainability, with projects focused on renewable energy, green hydrogen, and photovoltaics.
Training and human capital
Training was a key theme. Donatella D’Amico, Director of the Regional School Office, and Donato Iacobucci of the Marche Polytechnic University, highlighted the need for highly specialized professionals. The ITS Academy offers post-diploma courses tailored to the nautical sector, meeting the needs of an expanding market.
Future prospects
Vincenzo Garofalo, President of the Central Adriatic Sea Port System Authority, presented a strategic plan to optimize port facilities and strengthen collaboration among ports like Ancona, Pesaro, and Civitanova Marche. The goal is to drive economic growth, boost employment, and develop high-level industrial and tourism infrastructure.
Conclusions
The EYES Summit underscored Marche’s potential to solidify its leadership in luxury shipbuilding through training, innovation, sustainability, and international promotion, creating new opportunities for the region and its businesses.
The visit: Quality-conscious yards
In the Marche region, the pleasure boating industry is strong and distinguished by design, creativity, innovation and research activities.
The area of Ancona and neighbouring municipalities is characterised by a strong presence of shipyards active in the pleasure boating sector. Furthermore, the Marche Region is committed to the international promotion of the companies in its territory, paying particular attention to the luxury and nautical sector.
Suffice it to think of the Marche Region’s participation, with its own stand, at the Cannes Yaching Festival 2024, with the aim of facilitating the management of the production of new superyachts in the Marche region and starting a virtuous path involving superyachts and refitting.
At the Envisioning Yachting Excellence Summit (EYES) it was possible to visit some of these shipyards.
FERRETTI GROUP SUPERYACHT YARD
The first stop of the visit was the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard, which now boasts new management and hospitality spaces dedicated to the metal superyachts division. The building, which covers a multi-storey area of around 4,200 sq.m and can accommodate over 150 employees, together with areas dedicated to clients and prospects, is part of a redevelopment project that began in 2016 and concerns the entire shipyard in Ancona, Ferretti Group’s multi-brand hub.
This is where CRN’s super and megayachts in metal from 60 to 95 m, the Custom Line made-to-measure range from 30 to 43 m in composite, and the branded flagship superyachts entirely in aluminium are designed and built: Riva Superyacht Division, from 50 m, Custom Line 50 m and Pershing 140.
The new headquarters combines identity, history, high craftsmanship and company know-how in an innovative and recognisable industrial architecture project that combines aesthetics, functionality, sustainability and workers’ wellbeing.
PALUMBO SUPERYACHTS ANCONA
The Palumbo Superyachts Ancona shipyard is also located in the center of the busiest superyacht hub on the Adriatic, less than 15 km from Ancona’s international commercial and private airport. It is equipped with a large superyacht lifting platform and has developed a strong expertise in the construction, refit, maintenance and conversion of superyachts of all types and sizes. The spacious, temperature-controlled workshops offer a comfortable working environment all year round. Spare parts and tools can be ordered directly from the yard.
Palumbo Superyachts has strengthened its presence on the international markets through the commercial brands ISA Yachts, Columbus Yachts, EXTRA Yachts and Mondomarine. Currently 12 superyachts from 37 to 80 m are under construction at the Ancona and Savona shipyards, with deliveries until 2027. Two of them are self-financed by the yard, notably an 80m ISA.
CANTIERE DELLE MARCHE
Founded in 2010 in Ancona on the initiative of ship managers and shipbuilders, Cantiere delle Marche is today a world-renowned and highly regarded business.
Covering a total area of 16,000 sq.m, Cantiere delle Marche’s facilities include warehouses, hardstanding, offices, workshops and a fully equipped dock. Within the halls, 7 yachts can be handled at the same time. At Marina Dorica in Ancona, in 2019, Cantiere Marche inaugurated a new private dockyard with 4 mooring points suitable for yachts up to 47m.
Today, the company focuses on quality (such as research into the best materials, overengineering, exceeding expected standards), flexibility to meet customer needs and reliability. Much attention is also placed on creating a friendly, constructive and dialogue-oriented environment with the customer.
At the time of the visit, a one-off unit of the explorer vessel type, customised and with unique features, was being released; other vessels have already been booked until November 2028.
ITALIA YACHTS
With a shipyard and offices in Monte Porzio (PU) in addition to the headquarters in Molfetta (Ba), Italia Yachts focuses on yachts with a strong identity and recognisability, designed for long navigation, with particular attention to design.
Each project starts from the search for the perfect balance, with the aim of obtaining boats that are easy to handle and behave safely. Also worth mentioning within Italia Yachts is Squadra Corse, a technical and managerial team with high added value that the company dedicates to boat owners, to assist them in the configuration of their custom-built craft, even following them directly onto the race courses.
SILENT YACHTS
Founded in 2016, Silent Yachts has successfully developed several solar-electric yacht models.
Recently the protagonist of a corporate restructuring, Silent Yachts, in Italy, has a shipyard in Fano (PU), which produces yachts and tenders and also includes an innovation centre engaged in research and development activities.
A three-deck version of the Silent 62 yacht was launched last spring, and seven more are planned by the end of 2024. Silent Yachts will also launch its first 80-footer in 2025, while another such yacht is planned by the end of the same year.
WIDER YACHTS
Fano is also home to the shipyard of Wider Yachts, a pioneer in the application of serial hybrid propulsion on luxury yachts.
Wider yachts are designed and built with a focus on efficiency and reduced fuel consumption, noise and vibrations, without forgetting the importance of design and quality materials. Wider’s two headquarters are located on the Adriatic coast. The head office is in Fano, at the futuristic Wider Vision Hub facility. A new Superyacht Hub has also been built in Venice, where superyachts and full-custom projects are built.
After the launch of a first WiderCat 92, part of a new series of 28-metre multihulls, in January 2024, the second unit was launched at the Wider Vision Hub in Fano in July this year. This vessel is also distinguished by its innovative serial hybrid propulsion system and design, but is also characterised by customised features to meet the specific needs of the buyer.
