Italian firms plan yard for cruiseships
EUROPEAN pre-eminence in cruiseship construction, in the face of oriental dominance of all other key fields of shipbuilding, reflects technological, design, labour and project management skills in concert with marketing emphasis and production resource allocation. Capacity development, though, has for a considerable time been a factor of productivity enhancement and refocusing of building berth utilisation, rather than of creation of new facilities. A recent initiative in Italy, however, envisages the establishment of a new yard which will cut its teeth on the fabrication of hulls for two luxury cruise vessels.