TRIESTE – Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard today, Friday 10 July, celebrated 30 years of partnership with Carnival Corporation, one of the longest-standing and most significant collaborations in the global cruise industry. The anniversary was marked by the steel cutting ceremony for Carnival Destiny, the first of three new Ace-class vessels for Carnival Cruise Line, scheduled for delivery in 2029, 2031 and 2033.
The event carries strong symbolic significance because it was in Monfalcone that, in 1996, the first Carnival Destiny was delivered – the vessel that became the first cruise ship to exceed 100,000 gross tons, changing the history of the global cruise industry. Since then, Fincantieri has delivered 76 ships to Carnival Corporation’s various brands, including 15 for Carnival Cruise Line. Today, vessels built by the Italian group carry more than 200,000 passengers every day.
Among those attending the ceremony were Monfalcone Mayor Luca Fasan, Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison, CEO Josh Weinstein, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy, Fincantieri Chairman Biagio Mazzotta, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Pierroberto Folgiero, General Manager of the Merchant Ships Division Luigi Matarazzo, and Monfalcone Shipyard Director Cristiano Bazzara. The new Carnival Destiny represents a major leap in scale and technology for the Italian shipbuilding industry. At around 230,000 gross tons, it will be the largest ship ever built by Fincantieri and the largest ever constructed in Italy. Powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), it will feature more than 3,000 cabins and accommodate over 8,000 passengers at full capacity. The vessel will also be equipped with advanced technologies to improve energy efficiency, waste management and emissions reduction.
«I am truly impressed by the strength of this partnership. Fincantieri and Carnival created an industry that did not previously exist, thanks to managerial vision and entrepreneurial courage, because building a 100,000-ton ship thirty years ago seemed almost heretical,» said Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero. «Heresy after heresy, an enormous industry was born. Cruising has become a giant business, and Fincantieri is at the heart of the global shipbuilding industry. The partnership with Carnival is fundamental for Fincantieri,» he added.
Folgiero also outlined the investments made at the Monfalcone shipyard, explaining that the historic 1968 Krupp cranes have been replaced with new Cimolai cranes, «featuring the best technology in the world», capable of lifting 800 tonnes to a height of 110 metres with an outreach of 118 metres. «They are the very best available and are essential for building larger ships, because lifting capacity is a typical bottleneck when constructing larger dock sections,» the CEO explained.
Looking ahead to the future of the shipbuilding industry, Folgiero outlined its development path: «I am convinced that shipbuilding will remain a labour-intensive industry, but the real change is that it will also become a technology-intensive business. It must evolve into a high-tech industry. We must become a laboratory for all the latest design and production technologies, as well as new automation and robotics systems. Just as we have remained leaders in this part of the world, we must become pioneers in these fields if we want to stay there in the years ahead.»
Fincantieri Chairman Biagio Mazzotta also highlighted the significance of the anniversary: «It is a birthday, a new beginning that is also an anniversary. A renewed confidence, proof of a partnership that has continued to evolve while looking towards the future; a collaboration built on quality, safety and dedication.» The orderbook between Fincantieri and Carnival continues to grow, with eight additional ships already on order, while the Italian group has set itself the symbolic target of building one hundred ships for the world’s largest cruise operator.
