A 200 million contract between Fincantieri and the owner Windstar Cruises of Seattle (Xanterra Travel Collection group) – one of the leading operators in the high-end cruise sector – marks the start of an impressive lengthening and modernization plan on three ships of the American fleet “Star Breeze”, “Star Legend” and “Star Pride". The two companies communicate this.
For the financing, the intervention of SACE, the Italian export credit agency, is foreseen and all the works will be carried out by the "Ship Repair & Conversion" function at the Fincantieri plant in Palermo.
The works will be started in the spring of 2019 with the start of construction of the first extension section and will be completed by November 2020 with the delivery of the third and last unit, with an average stop in the yard of around four months for each vessel.
The program, called "Star Plus", includes on each unit three main phases of intervention: the lengthening of about 26 meters; the almost total renewal of machinery and engine system arrangements; and finally the modernization of a large part of the public rooms and cabins.
As regards the lengthening operation, the new section will be inserted amidships and will contain 50 additional passenger suites, representing 47% more than current capacity, 19 additional cabins for staff and crew, two new restaurants and additional space to be used as a pool area. The current main engines, reduction gears and diesel-generators will be replaced with new engines of the latest generation.
The three ships involved in the program currently have a length of 134 meters, a tonnage of approximately 10.000 tons and a capacity of 212 passengers. At the end of the works each ship will be approximately 160 meters long, will have a tonnage of approximately 13.000 tons and will be able to accommodate 312 passengers.
The president of Windstar, John Delaney, said: “We are thrilled to announce the multi-million dollar Star Plus project, a significant investment in the future of Windstar Cruises. This initiative is our out-of-the-ordinary solution to add new possibilities and major improvements to the guest experience. The program not only creates new suites and public areas, but also allows us to take the opportunity to renew the engines of ships with a more efficient propulsion system in terms of fuel consumption and environmental impact”.
George Rizzo, Executive SVP of Fincantieri's services division, commented: “These three projects have an extraordinary value for both companies from many points of view. From a strategic point of view, first of all, with a program of great impact that consolidates the role of Fincantieri Services and the Palermo shipyard as a world leader in the ship repair and conversion sector. Also from a commercial point of view, we are proud to have a new customer who relies on us for his plan to expand and modernize half of his fleet. From a technological point of view, the execution of these three projects will require world-class engineering and project management capabilities which will be deployed three times within a single year demonstrating the competence of our organization”.
