Costa and San Giorgio del Porto invest in Marseille facility

San Giorgio del Porto and the Costa Group are to develop a cruise ship repair and conversion centre at Chantier Naval de Marseille in France.

Founded by San Giorgio del Porto in 2010, Chantier Naval de Marseille is located at the Port of Marseille and operates three drydocks, including Dock 10, the biggest graving dock in the Mediterranean.

As part of the new agreement, Costa will own a third of the yard and invest €10 million to improve technology and boost operational efficiency. The investment will enable Dock 10 to accommodate big ships.

“The Italian ship repair industry is an excellence that San Giorgio del Porto has also exported to Marseille, where the infrastructural features of the port allow for a business expansion to new market segments,” said Ferdinando Garrè, San Giorgio del Porto CEO. “With the establishment of Chantier Naval de Marseille in recent years, we have laid the foundation to create a centre that specialises in ship transformation and repair. The new partnership with a major player such as Costa strengthens this project and enables the creation of a truly world-class ship repair and conversion pole, a global point of reference open to all shipowners and all market segments.”

Costa Group’s investment will also enable the company to take a further step towards advanced technical management of its multi-brand cruise fleet. This will include three new vessels for AIDA Cruises, two for Costa Cruises and two for Costa Asia.

“This strategic partnership, the very first of this kind for the Costa Group, represents a milestone for our future operations and will ensure best-in-class management of all the necessary maintenance activities on our ships, including the next generation ships that we will receive in the next few years,” said Michael Thamm, Costa Cruises CEO. “I am sure that this partnership will bring a great added-value to both companies and new opportunities to build an innovative and efficient shipyard.”