Ancona – The Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona confirms itself as one of the group’s strategic hubs for the construction of high-end and ultra-luxury cruise ships. The Marche site, which over the last fifteen years has completed its transformation from a yard specialized in ferries, chemical tankers and merchant vessels to a production center dedicated to premium cruising, now operates with an industrial model that allows the simultaneous construction of four ships in different stages of progress.
The current production capacity is calibrated for the delivery of two units per year, one in the first half of the fiscal year and one at the end of the year. To sustain this pace, the yard keeps four ships under construction simultaneously: one nearing delivery, one in an advanced fitting-out stage, one recently launched, and a fourth under construction before entering the dry dock.
The site extends over a total area of 360,000 square meters, of which 65,000 are covered between workshops and warehouses. The industrial organization is structured according to a logic of extensive prefabrication. Steel plates are processed in a workshop equipped with two plasma cutting systems, followed by bending and structural panel assembly operations. The blocks, typically weighing around 100 tons, are progressively completed with electrical systems, piping, steelwork and outfitting systems before being joined into larger sections.
The handling of sections is carried out using a 500-ton gantry crane, which allows the assembly of modules of approximately 400 tons destined for the construction dry dock. The production strategy aims to maximize the level of pre-outfitting before placement in the dry dock, reducing subsequent time and work.
The heart of the process is the 240-meter-long dry dock, an infrastructure originally designed for merchant vessels and now used for cruise ships up to approximately 54,000 gross tons. This very limit represents one of the main development themes for the site. Fincantieri has in fact launched an investment plan, agreed with public administrations, to adapt the infrastructure to the growing demand for larger luxury cruise ships.
The intervention involves extending the dry dock to 305 meters and upgrading the operational quays. The objective is to allow the construction of units reaching 100,000 gross tons, a segment that is experiencing growing demand from luxury market operators.
Currently, the shipyard’s order book extends until 2031 and includes about a dozen units destined mainly for the Viking and Four Seasons brands. These are ships that fall into the highest segment of the cruise market, with capacities of fewer than one thousand passengers and standards comparable to those of large yachts.
Among the projects that marked the yard’s mission change are the expedition units built for Ponant, designed to operate in polar areas thanks to their contained dimensions and technical features dedicated to navigation in sensitive environments. More recently, Ancona has developed the Viking Ocean Cruises series, ships for Regent and SilverSea, and has delivered the prototype of the new Four Seasons Yacht class.
The latter represents one of the most complex projects ever carried out by the yard.
With approximately 35,000 tons of gross tonnage and a length of 207 meters, the ship integrates advanced technical solutions for acoustic and vibrational comfort. Particular attention was paid to the insulation of structures through the construction of a suspended engine cover, which limits the transmission of vibrations to living areas. The ship is also equipped with a dynamic positioning system, used during stops in the roadstead and when opening two side shell doors flush with the waterline, to recreate a marina.
From an employment perspective, the site mobilizes approximately 3,000 people every day. With around 700 direct employees, the majority of the workforce consists of personnel from contracting companies. Approximately 250 companies and workers from 53 different nationalities operate steadily, an element that requires a complex organization also in terms of safety and training.
The production program currently underway in Ancona is mainly focused on luxury and ultra-luxury cruise ships for Viking and Four Seasons. The yard simultaneously works on four units, each in a different phase of the construction cycle: one nearing delivery and final trials, one in advanced outfitting at the quay, one recently launched from the dry dock, and a fourth still in the section assembly phase.
Among the most significant programs are the new units of the Viking Ocean Cruises series, ships of approximately 55,000 tons of gross tonnage that now represent the consolidated production of the Marche site. Among the units, Viking Libra will be delivered at the end of the year, the world’s first cruise ship powered by hydrogen stored on board, used both for propulsion and for generating electrical energy on board. The ship will be able to sail and operate with zero emissions, allowing it to access even the most environmentally sensitive areas. This is a new generation hydrogen propulsion system which, combined with advanced fuel cell technology, will be capable of generating up to six megawatts of power, setting a new standard for the sector’s decarbonization efforts.
Construction continues on the second unit of the Four Seasons Yacht class, following the prototype delivered in February 2026, with the futuristic Funnel suite featuring curved windows extending over four different levels, at the front of the funnel, with a privileged view of the sea. This is a ship 207 meters long and characterized by hospitality standards typical of the yachting sector rather than traditional cruising. “Four Seasons I” represents not only a new benchmark for luxury at sea, but is also the world’s first intelligent ultra-luxury ship, marking a decisive step in the digital evolution of the maritime industry. The Navis Sapiens program, developed by Fincantieri Ingenium – the joint venture between Fincantieri NexTech and Accenture – paves the way for a new generation of smart ships, based on an integrated and continuously evolving digital architecture, which leverages artificial intelligence and real-time data to ensure safer, more efficient, and future-oriented operations.
The open and scalable design also allows for the integration of emerging features and technologies without impacting the onboard guest experience.
The production cycle for these units takes approximately 23 months from the first cut of sheet metal to delivery. To meet deadlines, the shipyard applies a very extensive pre-outfitting logic: electrical systems, piping, HVAC ducting, secondary steelwork, and part of the furnishings are already installed during the block and section construction phase. The goal is to transfer modules to the dry dock that are as complete as possible, reducing subsequent activities and improving overall productivity.
This industrial approach allows Ancona to maintain a steady pace of two deliveries per year and, at the same time, to manage programs characterized by high system complexity and increasingly stringent requirements in terms of comfort, acoustic insulation, and quality of outfitting.
