Riding a wave of new orders, Cantieri di Pisa’s refit division is currently working on over 30 projects following a fivefold increase in turnover in 2024 compared to the previous year.

The most recent orders secured by the shipyard’s refit division include a 50m Benetti, 41m Feadship and a 43m Perini Navi sailing yacht, with the latter having its mast removed before entering the Canale dei Navicelli on its way to Cantieri di Pisa. The three superyachts will shortly be handed back to their owners following various work, including painting and class renewal.

Marco Massabò (click for interview), Cantieri di Pisa’s CEO, said: “We’re very proud of these recent orders. The refit division is growing in terms of both sales, which are five times up on the previous year, and total work area.”

Massabò revealed that the area in the yard dedicated to refit work now covers 24,000sqm, with the division’s employees now numbering around 20, with another 10 or so “joining shortly”. He estimated that each project involves a workforce of between 200-300 people along the supply chain. The shipyard owns a trolley and travel lift, both with a 300-tonne capacity.

Cantieri di Pisa stated that the key strengths of the refit division are close collaboration between the Research & Development department and the yachts’ captains. Like the custom division, the refit division offers Cantieri di Pisa’s know-how in the processing of carbon fibre, fibreglass, steel and aluminium using the 45-degree welding technique currently used in Northern Europe.

Umberto Nannola, Cantieri di Pisa’s Refit Manager, has worked at the Pisa shipyard since 1999 and believes the refit division has deserved its recent success.

“Among the refit division’s value-added factors, in addition to the company’s huge expertise, is its commitment to honouring the price agreed in the initial phase, even though in operations like these – lasting months – conditions may vary, making it necessary to reschedule or revise work in progress,” Nannola said.

“What’s more, customers perceive the efficiency and harmony between the various parts of the yard that have characterised this company in recent years. This is borne out not only by the number of orders but also by geographically distant customers deciding to call on us rather than yards closer to them.”

Cantieri di Pisa delivered over 700 yachts from 1945-2012. In 2021, it was bought and relaunched by Enrico Gennasio (click for interview) and embarked on a new era of new builds and refits.

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