The “made in Taranto” as synonymous with luxury? Too early to tell. The hope, however, is that the launch of FB616yesterday morning, truly represents a new beginning of Ionian shipbuilding industry: we are talking about the mega yacht made by local workers, in steel and aluminium, for Azimut Benetti. The vessel is the result of the union between three different companies – SGMSrl, Sea Style Company Spa And Costruzioni Generali Srlled respectively by Maurizio Abbatematteo and Pasquale Di Napoli – and was manufactured in twelve months (180,000 hours required) by eighty workers, experts employed in the best welding practices and non-destructive testing.
A fascinating boat whose value is estimated at forty million euros: fifty meters long, 220 tons in weight. A jewel of the sea. He spoke of a “particularly significant event, which marks the break with the past and illustrates the extraordinary capacity for productive diversification on the part of our companies”, referring to the launch, Forza Italia MP Vito De Palma from Taranto. «Companies that yesterday were forced to transfer their activities to the north and today return here because, evidently, there are the right conditions to operate and we will strengthen them with the commitment to further reduce and simplify bureaucracy. Our local excellences are experimenting with alternative paths to the steel industry and the results are more than flattering: for this reason, we can only applaud and support the shipbuilding industry which can count on the resourcefulness and skills of our entrepreneurs”.
The launching of the yacht – Photo Francesco Manfuso
The regional councilor of the Democratic Party, Vincenzo Di Gregorio, for his part underlined the opening of «a new page that recovers and relaunches activities that have made Taranto famous throughout the world». To host the creation of FB616, which will now go to Livorno for finishing and fittings, is a historic site for Taranto boating such as the famous former Tosi shipyards, to which SGM has given new life. Two other mega constructions of 50 and 60 meters are currently under construction within the shipyard, to be delivered between 2024 and 2025, which will be launched at the SGM shipyards, giving employment to approximately 220 workers from the Taranto area. Di Gregorio again highlights how «the area of the former Tosi shipyards is part of our industrial heritage: it can be relaunched in a modern key and can become an opportunity for development for the territory. A virtuous example of industrial regeneration in a context of naturalistic value. The challenge that Taranto and Puglia must overcome is to be able to protect and enhance our beauties and, at the same time, do business in a modern, innovative, sustainable way, in full compliance with the rules”.
Among others, the mayor attended yesterday morning’s ceremony Rinaldo Meluccithe president of Confindustria Taranto Salvatore TomaThe ceo of SGM, Maurizio AbbatematteoThe ceo by Sea Style, Pasquale Di Napoliand the engineer Ferdinando Pilli for Azimut Benetti, client of FB616.
