CANTIERI DI PISA’S REFIT DIVISION IS RIDING A WAVE OF NEW ORDERS FOR SUPERYACHTS, WITH WORK IN PROGRESS ON OVER 30 BOATS
Intense activity continues to be the story at Cantieri di Pisa, starting with its refit division, which in the last three years has seen a surge in demand, with a fivefold increase in sales in 2024 compared to the previous year. Among the numerous boats undergoing work at the yard – over 30 at present – there are three superyachts built by some of the world’s most important builders: a 50-metre Benetti, a 41-metre Feadship and a 43-metre Perini Navi sailing yacht, all close to being handed back to their owners.
134 metres. This is the total length of the last three orders won by Cantieri di Pisa’s refit division, three splendid superyachts built by Benetti, Feadship and Perini Navi measuring 50, 41 and 43 metres respectively and which will shortly be handed back to their owners following various operations, including painting and class renewal.
“We’re very proud of these recent orders. The refit division is growing in terms of both sales, which are five times up on the previous year, and square metres,” said a satisfied Marco Massabò, CEO at Cantieri di Pisa. “The area in our yard dedicated to refit work now covers 24,000 square metres. Our own employees number around 20, with another ten or so professionals joining us shortly. Each project involves a workforce of between 200 and 300 people along the supply chain”.
The key strengths of this division, which owns the equipment it uses (a trolley and a travel lift, both with a capacity of 300 tonnes), are close collaboration and communication between the Research & Development department and the yachts’ captains. The refit division, like the custom division, can rely on Cantieri di Pisa’s know-how in the processing of carbon fibre, fibreglass, steel and aluminium using the 45-degree welding technique currently used in Northern Europe, its focus on craftsmanship in production and, last but not least, the prestige of a yard that has earned a place in the history of boat building at global level.
As Cantieri di Pisa’s Refit Manager Umberto Nannola explained: “Among the refit division’s value-added factors, in addition to the company’s huge expertise, is its commitment to honouring the price agreed in the initial phase, despite the fact that in operations like these, lasting months, conditions may vary, making it necessary to reschedule or revise work in progress. What’s more, customers perceive the efficiency and harmony between the various parts of the yard that have characterised this company, where I’ve been working since 1999, in recent years. This is borne out not only by the number of orders but also by geographically distant customers deciding to call on us rather than yards closer to them”. Which is the case of the majestic sailing yacht built by Perini Navi, which came to Pisa via Claudio Simonazzi’s Monaco-based Simonazzi Yachts. The yacht had to undergo demasting to be able to enter the Canale dei Navicelli to dock at Cantieri di Pisa. For the Benetti superyacht, the Ligurian company YOT, owned by Fortunato Di Marco and Alessandro Speziari, acted as an intermediary.
