TRIESTE – Fincantieri has scored a first win at the FVG TAR (Regional Administrative Court) in the dispute over night works at the Panzano yard in Monfalcone, but the case is far from over.
The ruling annulled the refusal signed by Mayor Luca Fasan on 24 November, clarifying that competence lay with the municipality’s technical director, not with the mayor. The court decision concerns the piling works required to install the new giant gantry cranes, key infrastructure for the yard’s production upgrade. Just a few hours after the ruling, however, the Municipality of Monfalcone issued a new refusal order, this time signed by the technical director. A move that reopens the legal confrontation and is pushing Fincantieri to prepare a new appeal, adding a damages claim linked to the delays accrued.
The halt to night works, scheduled from 15 October to 31 January, affects an intervention described as strategic for the construction of ships up to 230,000 gross tons. The units, destined for Carnival, have deliveries scheduled between 2029 and 2033. The two 800-tonne Goliath cranes are being built in Chioggia by Cimolai, and any slippage in the preparatory phase risks impacting the entire industrial chain of the world’s largest shipyard, with penalties that can reach up to 345,000 euros per day.
Several political figures have weighed in on the matter. The Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Ciriani, called for avoiding slowdowns and for opening a roundtable between the company and the municipal administration. The Undersecretary at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Sandra Savino, urged institutional responsibility to protect a national industrial excellence. From the Democratic Party, Debora Serracchiani invited the Region’s President, Massimiliano Fedriga, to defuse tensions, while Lega Senator Marco Dreosto defended Fincantieri’s actions, rejecting claims of political exploitation.
From the municipality, Mayor Fasan reiterates that the administration’s action aims to protect citizens and balance industrial development with quality of life. On the same line is Anna Cisint (MEP), the municipality’s councillor responsible for infrastructure, who stresses the need to comply with noise regulations even where derogations are in place, and confirms willingness for technical dialogue.
Fincantieri, while maintaining public silence, considers it a priority to unblock authorisations quickly in order to complete the works required for the giant cranes and safeguard the schedule of its orders.
