Genova, the biggest "lift" for Mediterranean Yacht
IL SECOLO XIX
Yacht, Genova face Spain and France – Amico invests 27 million for the yard
In October will be active a lift for big vessels up to 100 meter “In this manner we can compete with Barcellona”
Simone Gallotti / GENOA
When everything will be ready in October and after a few days the first yacht will go on the platform, Genoa will really be able to compete with the other nautical capitals. "We will become one of the main hubs in the Mediterranean," explains Alberto Amico proudly, at the head of the shipyard that repairs and refurbishes the giants of the sea, the large - and now very large - yachts that sail in European waters. In front of the area where, until recently, the former Nira building stood in the spaces of the Genoa Exhibition Center, a barge was moored for three days: "It left Brindisi where all the pieces were welded and then, once completed, it arrived here after a week of sailing," says Fabrizio Scardigno, the manager of the shipyard sitting in the "control room" of the new project worth almost 30 million.
Thursday has finished the landing operation of the largest "elevator" for yachts in the Mediterranean: "With the ship-lift we will be able to move ashore boats up to 95 meters and 4,000 tons of displacement" explains Scardigno. The boat arrives from the sea and rises on the elevator positioned below the water level: a large steel plate lifts it in dry until the appropriate position and with a system of tracks and trains, small, powerful, electric and therefore zero emissions, is transferred on the square ready to be worked undercover thanks to the temporary thermal blankets: "We will be able to accommodate up to 5 more mega yachts in our yard - says the manager - Previously, we had only two docks available for this type of boats: one here at us, the other in the Ente Bacini area, but it is no longer exclusive".
In order not to miss the train of the market, Amico has decided to transform its industrial area: "We expect to be able to host the first boat in mid-October - confirms the number one of the shipyard - The giant yacht is a booming sector that we want to intercept, but we need adequate space and facilities. For the infrastructure Amico has put on the plate 27 million euros to transform 15 thousand square meters of the concession area.
COMPETING WITH THE BIGS
Even in the nautical sector, timing is a fundamental part of the job: Amico is in a hurry "also to beat Barcelona, our main competitor, and Ciotat (in France, ed.) which, however, is a year late. They are the two European poles competing for the refit of large yachts. "But in Genoa we now have all the elements to be successful: we are attracting boats, owners and crews".
If Amico beats the Spanish to the punch, Italy will be the first country to have the largest boat elevator in the Mediterranean. And it's not just a matter of pride. At stake are jobs: "To support new investments, we have hired 15 people and we plan another ten entries in the coming months. Investments and new jobs that Amico puts on the scales, while on the other hand there have been complaints because the barge has blocked access for three days to the marina of the Fair: "In this city there are those who believe it is better to make controversy, rather than invest and create wealth - says the number of the shipyard - The benefits will be not only for us, but also for the induced and for the whole economy of the city.
