Cantiere Rossini grows in “size” and looks abroad

The Pesaro-based shipyard specialized in refits closed a positive season and evaluates new areas

While the “real” nautical season is about to start, in May refit shipyards have already completed most of their activities and are starting to take stock of their results. In fact, in this period they are delivering yachts to shipowners for the cruises scheduled for the summer season.

One of the most satisfied is definitely Pesaro-based Cantiere Rossini, a company that in less than four years of activities already acquired very significant shares in a very competitive market. The expertise of its managing director Alfonso Postorino definitely helped the company becoming one of the most reliable players, ensuring a return on the significant investments made by shareholders in the start-up phase. SUPER YACHT 24 interviewed him in his Pesaro offices.

How did the 2022 season which is about to end go?

 “Very well, we are satisfied. In our shipyard there are only a few boats to be completed, while most of them have been delivered. We have not even be affected by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, whose effects cannot be evaluated before next winter. Last year, from January until December, we worked on a total of 30 boats, and in 2022 we plan to keep at least these figures”.

What yacht size have you worked on mainly?

“In the past years, we moved higher in our market segment as we are mainly working on 40-45 meters long units, rather than the 30-35 meters long boats of the past seasons. However, we can host mega yachts up to 50 meters long, but we are not planning to work on longer ones”.

On average, how long do yachts stop in your shipyards for works?

“It depends on the type of project, but in general they stay from two weeks to six months: for a proper refit we need at least four. On some ships, for more complex refits, we divide works into two seasons”.

How many people are employed in your shipyard?

“We have fifteen direct employees, but with external teams, fitters etc…, we can get to 120 people working simultaneously in our shipyard. Our role is mainly coordinating, selecting suppliers and checking quality. It is a different business model compared to that of newbuildings shipyards, as refit is subject to more seasonality since most works are concentrated between October and May”.

In that respect, are you planning to manufacture also new yachts under Rossini’s brand in the future?

“No, even if we would be able to do so, and we would also have the necessary space. We want to keep focused on refit. Manufacturing implies different timing and risks, and we are not interested in it. We do not even rent our areas to other shipyards, although we collaborate with many of them in other ways”.

What are your plans with regard to sustainability?

“We are very close to zero emissions, and this is a significant step. 100% of the electricity we use comes from certified renewable sources such as hydropower and photovoltaic. We do not use diesel nor gas, and we use sea water as a geothermal source for heating, through a heat pump. In fact, the only emissions of our shipyard are those of travel lifts. Finally, at the end of March we obtained the ISO 14001 environmental certificate, which will be added to the ISO 9001 certificate that we already obtained three years ago”.

What was the most relevant project on which you worked this year?

“The Wider 165 ‘Cecilia’, an hybrid propulsion boat on which we repositioned the battery pack, fed by four generators. The shipowner wanted to move weights after having removed the submarine with which the yacht was initially equipped. Therefore, we repositioned all batteries in the stern area, increasing them by 50% and increasing significantly the autonomy of the boat in “zero emission mode”. We also carried out a complete refit of the interiors and created a new deck entirely in teak”.

Are you planning further developments for the future?

“In Pesaro, we made significant investments on spaces, equipment and technology, but we are not going to stop. In fact, we plan to renovate our old office building, which will become a service centre for crews of moored boats. However, our shareholders are evaluating other areas, in particular in the Eastern Mediterranean, on which we could carry out works similar to those that gave birth to the Rossini Shipyard. We have many development opportunities”.

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