WASHINGTON D.C. – Fincantieri Marine Group is the newest participant in Green Marine – the largest voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry.
World-class shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) and state-of-the-art aluminum construction facility, Fincantieri ACE Marine, are the first two shipyards in Wisconsin to join the environmental program and thereby assess their environmental performance for continual improvement.
“Fincantieri has a global reputation for being one of the largest and most diverse shipbuilders in the maritime industry,” said Dario Deste, president and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “But we also continue charting bold initiatives in sustainability and innovation, and that includes our efforts here in the U.S.”
FMG aims to operate in the most sustainable manner. During recent expansion work done at their Marinette shipyard, Fincantieri worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to ensure the health and safety of the environment and to limit disruptions to recreational use of the Menominee River. The nearly complete $300 million capital expansion program for their U.S. shipyards includes many new climate-controlled facilities and the country’s largest ship lift to ease ships in and out of the water while minimizing impact to the Menominee River ecosystem.
“We’re so pleased to welcome the renowned Fincantieri into Green Marine where it can benchmark its progress along with ten other U.S. and Canadian shipyards and more than 140 ship owners, ports, and terminals in North America,” said David Bolduc, Green Marine’s executive director.
To complete its certification, each Fincantieri shipyard will assess its environmental performance based on Green Marine’s applicable indicators, which include greenhouse gases and air pollutants, spill prevention, waste management, community impacts, and environmental leadership. The annual certification process is rigorous and transparent, with the individual performance of each participant independently verified every two years.
Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders, employing 19,000 shipbuilding professionals in 18 shipyards on four continents. Fincantieri has a rich history dating back more than 234 years and has built more than 7,000 ships. Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in Wisconsin on the Great Lakes.
Founded in 2007, Green Marine’s North American environmental certification program is the result of a voluntary effort by the shipping industry to go beyond regulations. There are currently more than 150 ship owners, port authorities, terminal operators and shipyard managers throughout Canada and the United States participating in the program. Green Marine’s unique character derives from the support it receives from environmental, scientific, government and community organizations. Some 85 supporters help to shape and revise the program, which is outlined in detail at www.green-marine.org.
For more information:
Eric Dent
Director of Communications
Fincantieri Marine Group
(202) 488-4783
Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com
Manon Lanthier
Communications Manager
Green Marine
418-569-5110
manon.lanthier@green-marine.org
STURGEON BAY, Wisc. – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding started construction on the largest LNG (liquefied natural gas) bunkering barge ever built in the United States.
Bay Shipbuilding is expected to complete construction on the barge in late 2023 under contract with Crowley, the largest independent operator of tank vessels in the U.S. Crowley will operate the vessel under a long-term charter with Shell NA LNG, LLC (“Shell”).
The 416-ft. vessel, which will have the capacity for 12,000 m3 (3.17 million gallons) of LNG, will be the largest Jones Act-compliant vessel of its kind, and the second Jones Act-compliant bunker barge Shell has under a time charter in the U.S.
Serving the U.S. East Coast, it will be used to help expand current LNG network capacity and meet demands for cleaner energy sources for ships.
“We are excited to get this project started, and equally pleased that it builds on our relationship with Crowley and Shell,” said Craig Perciavalle, Vice President & General Manager of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. “Our team is committed to giving our customers the best value, and we are happy to get started on this important project.”
“We congratulate the men and women of Bay Shipbuilding on the start of this innovative, landmark vessel that will help the maritime industry meet demand for cleaner operations with reduced emissions,” said Tucker Gilliam, vice president, Crowley Shipping. “In partnership with Shell, this vessel will expand the availability of LNG to vessels and help advance the transition to lower-emission fuels as the industry seeks to reduce emissions.”
Dean Sahr, Crowley’s manager of new construction and LNG engineering, pushed the button on the state-of-the-art metal cutter to cut the first piece of steel in Sturgeon Bay on Jan. 6. The vessel is designed by Crowley Engineering Services, the company’s naval architecture and marine engineering solutions group.
“Shell is working hard to meet our customers’ growing needs with the energy solutions they are looking for,” said Tahir Faruqui, general manager, Global DLNG for Shell. “As we continue to expand our LNG bunkering network, we are excited to see work underway on this vessel, one which will support the shipping sector’s continued progress toward decarbonization.”
Dario Deste, the head of Fincantieri’s U.S. operations, reinforced the importance of this project and the role that Bay Shipbuilding has. “Our team at Bay has done a tremendous job of managing the build cycles of several large and important vessels during the pandemic,” said Deste. “Even with COVID-related supply chain challenges globally, we continue to meet our customers’ timelines. Delivering on schedule is a point of pride for Fincantieri.”
LNG or liquefied natural gas, is a process through which natural gas is cooled to a liquid state and reduced by nearly 600%, which makes it easier and safer to transport. Bunkering barges either transport the gas to locations where it can be returned to a gaseous state for energy, or it can be used to refuel other vessels which use LNG. LNG burns much cleaner than the other fossil fuels, resulting in greater reductions in pollution and less internal wear on engines.
Bay Shipbuilding was recognized as one of the safest U.S. shipyards in 2020 by the Shipbuilders Council of America, an award that exemplifies FBS’ commitment to safety.
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Fincantieri Marine Group: Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the US, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com.
Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and -operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with more than $2.5 billion in annual revenues, over 160 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and approximately 6,300 employees around the world – employing more U.S. mariners than any other company. The Crowley enterprise has invested more than $3 billion in maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade and the global economy. As a global ship owner-operator and services provider with more than 130 years of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, the company serves customers in 35 nations and island territories through four business units: Crowley Logistics, Crowley Shipping, Crowley Solutions and Crowley Fuels. Additional information about Crowley, its business units and subsidiaries can be found at www.crowley.com.
Contact: Eric Dent, Director of Communications | Fincantieri Marine Group | Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com | (202) 488-4783
STURGEON BAY, WISCONSIN – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding delivered the 340-ft. LNG bunkering barge, Clean Canaveral, to Polaris New Energy last Friday, Dec. 3.
The 5,500 cubic meter ATB is the largest ever built in the United States, and will soon be followed by another barge of similar size for an affiliate of Polaris New Energy, as they grow their leadership position in the domestic LNG bunkering market.
“We are really proud to deliver this important vessel on time,” said Craig Perciavalle, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding’s new Vice President and General Manager. “Thanks to the entire team here and all of the suppliers and partners who worked through the many challenges over the last couple of years.”
Attending the delivery ceremony were representatives and family members from Polaris New Energy. Mac Hummel, CEO of Polaris offered comments to the ceremony, as well as Thomas Sullivan, senior VP of Operations for Polaris New Energy.
After thanking the team at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Hummel said, “And I recognize it's not only all of you standing here today. It's your families, it's your loved ones, it's your friends, it's the local businesses that support the shipyard. It's local officials that also lend their support.” Hummel then offered thanks for the continued support of the U.S. Coast Guard, American Bureau of Shipping, Vard for design services, and Wartsila for the LNG handling systems.
“When Northstar decided to enter the LNG bunkering business,” said Sullivan, “we reached out to several shipyards for bids. But based on our past experience with Fincantieri Bay [Shipbuilding], the incredible talent of the team that's standing before me now, the welders, the pipe fitters, the electricians, the paint crew, and everyone behind the scenes, my hope was we could come to terms with Fincantieri Bay. And thankfully we did that, because the work that you've done is incredible.”
In keeping with maritime tradition, Sullivan’s daughter-in-law Candyce Sullivan ceremoniously smashed a bottle of champagne on a portion of the ship to present the Clean Canaveral.
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is on contract to build a sister 5,500 cubic meter ATB for Northstar and Polaris, in addition to other new construction and steady repair work in the Great Lakes.
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About Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding
Located in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is an industry leader in the construction, conversion, and repair of large ships – tracing its rich history back more than 100 years. The diversified FBS portfolio includes articulated tug-barge units, dredges and dredging support equipment, automated loading carriers, ferries, and offshore support vessels. On the repair side, FBS is an expert at managing critical deadlines in the repair and sustainment of bulk carriers and other ships associated with the Great Lakes fleet.
Shipbuilding facilities at the 63-acre plant include a large graving dock, a U.S. Navy-certified drydock, and lifting capacity to meet the most demanding requirements. Erection buildings are climate-controlled and equipped with sophisticated computer-aided manufacturing equipment. Fincantieri’s skilled workforce has extensive shipyard construction experience, in-house engineering, and a management team focused on client satisfaction and on-time delivery.
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is an operating unit of Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), the United States division of global shipbuilding giant, Fincantieri. www.fincantieribayshipbuilding.com
About Fincantieri
Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and has built more than 7,000 vessels in over 230 years of maritime history. A leader in cruise ship design and construction and a reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry sectors, from naval to offshore vessels, from high-complexity unique vessels and ferries to mega-yachts, ship repairs and conversions, systems, and components production, and after-sales services, Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the United States, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com
About Northstar Terminals
Northstar Terminals is focused on the production and delivery of LNG as a clean transportation fuel through its subsidiaries: Northstar Jacksonville, PNE Marine Holdings and Polaris New Energy.
Northstar Jacksonville has a fifty percent ownership in JAX LNG, a partnership with Pivotal LNG, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which operates a 120,000 gal per day LNG plant and marine terminal in Jacksonville, Florida. The JAX LNG facility is currently being expanded to 360,000 gallons per day and four million gallons of storage.
PNE Marine Holdings and Polaris New Energy are wholly owned subsidiaries providing marine transportation logistics to meet the growing demand for LNG as a maritime fuel. For more information, visit polarisnewenergy.com.
Media Contacts
Eric Dent, Fincantieri Marine Group, 202-603-3263, eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com
Tim Casey, Northstar Terminals, tcasey@northstarmidstream.com
STURGEON BAY, Wisc. – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is partnering with Crowley Maritime Corporation on the largest LNG (liquefied natural gas) bunkering barge ever constructed in the United States.
The transformative design of the 416-ft. vessel will offer capacity for 12,000 m3 (3.17 million gallons) of LNG and when complete it will be the largest Jones Act-compliant vessel of its kind, becoming the second Jones Act-compliant bunker barge Shell has under long-term charter in the U.S. It will be used to help expand current LNG network capacity and meet demands for cleaner energy.
“Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is pleased to partner with Crowley on this project, building on our previous successful vessel construction projects,” said Todd Thayse, Vice President & General Manager of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. “Our growing expertise and partnerships in the LNG transportation business is recognized by the industry and positions us well in this growing market. We are pleased Crowley selected our team at Bay Shipbuilding to execute this important and highly visible project.”
Bay Shipbuilding designed and constructed two large articulated tug-barges (ATBs) for Crowley in 2002. Currently Bay Shipbuilding is wrapping up construction of a similar but smaller LNG barge for Polaris New Energy, Clean Canaveral, which is expected to deliver later this year. This vessel for Crowley is expected to be in service in 2024.
“The new bunker barge will extend Crowley’s commitment to deliver cleaner, innovative solutions to help the shipping industry continue on the path to de-carbonization,” said Tucker Gilliam, vice president, Crowley Shipping. “Orders for ships fueled by liquefied natural gas continue to rise, and this vessel will provide Shell an innovative and reliable service to meet demands for more sustainable energy sources.”
With this barge, Shell continues to expand its global network for LNG bunkering, with 10 LNG bunker vessels currently under contract and plans to add further to its growing global fleet.
LNG or liquefied natural gas, is a process through which natural gas is cooled to a liquid state and reduced by nearly 600%, which makes it easier and safer to transport. Bunkering barges either transport the gas to locations where it can be returned to a gaseous state for energy, or it can be used to refuel other vessels which use LNG. LNG burns much cleaner than the other fossil fuels, resulting in greater reductions in pollution and less internal wear on engines.
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding was recently recognized as one of the safest U.S. shipyards in 2020 by the Shipbuilders Council of America.
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Fincantieri Marine Group: Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the US, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com.
Contact: Eric Dent, Director of Communications | Fincantieri Marine Group | Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com | (202) 488-4783
STURGEON BAY, Wisc. – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding hosted U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin yesterday as she toured the shipyard to see recent infrastructure improvements and speak with men and women who work in one of the most capable Great Lakes shipyards.
“Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is an industry leader in the construction, repair and conversion of USCG and commercial vessels, and we are lucky to have them here in Sturgeon Bay,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin. “I am glad to partner with them on the maritime issues facing the Great Lakes and will continue to advocate for strong Buy America policies to support the domestic shipbuilding industrial base.”
Baldwin was in Northeast Wisconsin to meet with local Coast Guard members, tour Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, and to conduct a listening session with maritime industry representatives.
“We enjoy showing our elected officials our talented team and world-class facilities,” said Dario Deste, President and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Having Sen. Baldwin here is also a great reminder to our shipyard teammates that the work they do each day is critical to the U.S. maritime industry as well as commerce beyond the Great Lakes.”
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding continues to be one of the most important shipyards in the Great Lakes, as one of only two shipyards authorized to conduct emergency repairs of vessels of the Great Lakes fleet, like 1,000-ft. Lakers. Bay Shipbuilding also designs and builds new ships, like the LNG bunkering barge, which is nearing completion later this year. Bay is most notably associated with the annual servicing and repair work of many of the Great Lakes fleet each winter.
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Fincantieri Marine Group: Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the US, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com.
Contact: Eric Dent, Director of Communications | Fincantieri Marine Group
Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com | (202) 488-4783
GREEN BAY – Fincantieri Marine Group was recently recognized for its commitment to veteran employment by Wisconsin’s chapter of Disabled American Veterans as the state’s 2020 Large Employer of the Year.
Officials from FMG received the award from DAV’s Employment Committee Chairman Gary Meyer at their annual convention June 11.
“We take great pride in supporting our country and its military by making tremendous vessels for the Navy and Coast Guard, but also by strengthening our commitment to hiring veterans,” said Marco Galbiati, FMG’s general manager.
Fincantieri Marine Group operates three shipyards in Wisconsin: Fincantieri Marinette Marine, in Marinette; Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay; and Fincantieri Ace Marine in Green Bay. FMG also has a corporate office in De Pere. Nearly 250 veterans work at Fincantieri, and FMG is in the midst of a two-year hiring ramp as they begin fabrication on Constellation-class frigates for the U.S. Navy later this year.
“We are on contract with the Navy to design and build the first-in-class USS Constellation as well as the second ship,” said Galbiati. “We believe we are a great place to work here in northeast Wisconsin, especially with our fulfilling mission and all of the benefits our company provides.”
Galbiati also stressed that the ships coming out of Bay Shipbuilding are predominately commercial ships with critical missions as well. Moving supplies and raw materials throughout the Great Lakes and beyond is an understated, yet important endeavor.
For those interested in searching available jobs at Fincantieri Marine Group, please check out: https://webuildships.com/careers/.
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Fincantieri Marine Group
Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the U.S., including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com
Fincantieri Marine Group Contact:
Eric Dent
Director of Communications
Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com
(202) 488-4783
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WASHINGTON D.C. – Fincantieri Marinette Marine and its board of directors announced today that Mark Vandroff will be taking over as CEO effective July 7, replacing Jan Allman who has led the Wisconsin shipyard since 2014.
“Our company’s continued growth afforded us an opportunity to expand our senior leadership team and to better organize to exceed our customer’s needs,” said Dario Deste, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Jan [Allman] has done a tremendous job working with partner Lockheed Martin and the Navy on the Littoral Combat Ship and Multi-mission Surface Combatant programs, as well as helping our company secure the FFG contract. We are pleased that she has accepted a promotion and will continue to serve in her new role in our Green Bay office as FMG’s senior vice president of public affairs and community relations.”
“On behalf of Marinette Marine’s board of directors, I want to thank Jan for her dedication and hard work,” said Gary Roughead, retired Navy CNO and now chairman of the Marinette board. “Mark has an opportunity of a lifetime to lead the FMM team during an exciting time as we build the Navy’s Constellation Class frigate, a vital part of tomorrow’s Fleet.”
Vandroff, a retired Navy captain, brings a wealth of naval shipbuilding experience to the team responsible for designing and building the Navy’s Constellation-class frigates.
Vandroff has been with Fincantieri Marine Group since early in 2021, where he was the senior vice president of business development.
Vandroff spent more than 30 years in the Navy, which was highlighted by tours as the major program manager for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and the commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock, Md. He holds a B.S. in Physics from the United States Naval Academy and an M.S. in Applied Physics from Johns Hopkins University.
Prior to joining FMG, Vandroff served as the deputy assistant to the President of the United States and senior director for defense policy on the National Security Council staff. In this role, he served as the President’s senior White House advisor on a broad array of matters including defense capabilities, irregular and non-traditional warfare, strategic weapons, international security cooperation, military personnel, emerging defense technology, and space security. Prior to that, he worked in industry as vice president of maritime programs for Zenetex, LLC.
He has also been a frequent contributor to USNI’s Proceedings, The Strategy Bridge, and the Center for International Maritime Security. He was the recipient of the 2018 Gold Medal for Engineering Excellence by the American Society of Naval Engineers.
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Fincantieri Marine Group
Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the U.S., including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com
Fincantieri Marine Group Contact
Eric Dent
Director of Communications
Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com
(202) 488-4783
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WASHINGTON D.C. – The Department of Defense announced today that the Navy is exercising a $553.8 million option to have Fincantieri Marinette Marine build the second Constellation-class frigate.
The Wisconsin shipyard is currently working with the Navy on the detailed design phase of building the first-in-class USS Constellation (FFG-62), a modern guided-missile frigate based partially on the Italian FREMM. Fabrication is planned to start at the end of this year, and the ship is expected to deliver to the Navy in 2026.
This contract is the first of nine potential options on future guided-missile frigates for the Wisconsin shipyard.
Dario Deste, president and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group, stated that the approval on the second ship was expected based on progress on FFG design efforts, as well as the company’s demonstrated commitment and follow-through on capital improvements.
“While it is good to have additional work lined up for our shipyards, I believe the most important aspect of this decision is that our customer believes that together we are a strong team focused on delivering a capable and adaptable ship that will serve well into the future,” said Deste. “We made substantial investments in our system-of-shipyards in Wisconsin, so that we can solidify our position as a surface combatant center of excellence.”
Fincantieri Marinette Marine received the initial FFG(X) contract April 30, 2020, for the lead ship and options for nine additional ships valued at $5.5B. Although the award happened several months earlier than planned, FMM went into the DD&C (Detail Design and Construction) phase with a lot of momentum.
“There was very little time for fanfare after the initial award,” said Deste. “Frankly we were happy to receive it [the award], but more happy to start working closely with the U.S. Navy as the prime contractor on this important program for them.”
“There are always challenges when you build a first-in-class ship, but we started with a phenomenal parent design — the FREMM — which is internationally known as a reliable, versatile and operationally-proven warship,” said Deste. “And we continue to work with the U.S. Navy to give them exactly the ship they want.”
Deste added, “In the end, we expect to make many frigates for the U.S. Navy beyond the initial 10.”
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Fincantieri Marine Group: Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the US, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com. Contact: Eric Dent, Director of Communications | Fincantieri Marine Group | eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com | (202) 488-4783
MARINETTE, Wis. – Fincantieri Marinette Marine received the top honor among larger companies from the Wisconsin Safety Council in their annual corporate safety awards that was announced today.
The Wisconsin Safety Council honors businesses for exemplary safety records and excellence in safety & health management, and this year they recognized 10 companies for superior performance and commitment to safety.
“It is an honor to be associated with these tremendous companies who, like us, put a strong emphasis on operating safely,” said Jan Allman, CEO of FMM. “Safety is one of our core values here at FMM, and it’s great to see the hardworking men and women of our shipyard be recognized for their efforts.”
FMM continued to lead by example in the area of safe operations. In 2020, the shipyard continued to inculcate a collective focus on safety and wellness. This year the WSC also considered how companies protected their workforce during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Again, FMM was able to continue critical defense shipbuilding while making a wide range of changes to protect its employees, such as extensive disinfecting and cleaning, free protective masks, and rigorous contact tracing.
FMM proved to be a solid community partner during the pandemic by donating thousands of masks to local health and public safety workers during a period in which protective gear was in short supply. Also, FMM maintained a transparent and public accounting of known positive cases of COVID. This was done to limit speculation and to reassure employees, families, suppliers and community partners that robust precautions were being taken to operate safely.
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Fincantieri Marine Group
Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the U.S., including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in the Great Lakes. Together this “system-of-shipyards” offers unparalleled service across the range of design, build, service and maintain options for military, government and commercial customers. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com
Point of Contact: Eric Dent, Director of Communications | Fincantieri Marine Group
Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com | (202) 488-4783
MARINETTE, WISC – Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is prepared to launch the next phase of construction along the waterfront next month, which will include work in the adjacent Menominee River.
Beginning in May and planned to continue until late October, FMM will have several inches of sediment and bedrock removed from the river bottom and along the banks of their waterfront to allow the launch and navigation of larger Navy ships being built at the Wisconsin shipyard.
This work has been coordinated with federal, state and local officials and special emphasis has been made to limit interruptions to recreational activities in the adjacent waterway. During construction there will be brief periods each weekday in which the portion of the Menominee River along FMM’s waterfront will be temporarily restricted to allow for safe operations. Officials expect that each weekday between 4 and 5 p.m. CT there will be no boating or river traffic for up to 30 minutes. There are no plans to restrict activities in the Menominee on weekends, holidays or during local fishing tournaments.
FMM leadership has worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to ensure compliance and to limit disruptions to recreational use of the Menominee River.
“Federal agencies and the Wisconsin DNR have been working with Fincantieri Marinette Marine, their consultants and contractors to ensure the health and safety of the environment through permitting for this expansion,” said Jean Romback-Bartels, NE WI Secretary’s Director for WDNR. “The fisheries resource is important in this river, so we worked with FMM to minimize impacts to spawning walleye, sturgeon, and more. Additionally, we have worked with them to avoid impacts to Strawberry Island and the rookery that’s located there.”
“Many of our employees and local community members enjoy the tremendous outdoor recreational opportunities that come with living in Northeast Wisconsin, so we are determined to limit how our construction potentially impacts our neighbors and those who transit past our waterfront,” said Jan Allman, CEO of FMM.
“We were fortunate as a shipyard to secure the contract to design and build the Navy’s guided-missile frigates,” said Allman. “Part of our contract is to make necessary improvements to our facilities so that we can deliver the world’s best frigates for decades.”
FMM and its sister shipyard, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, started a massive $200 million capital improvement plan earlier this year, which when completed will include several massive climate-controlled buildings and the largest ship lift in the U.S.
For those interested in understanding more about the construction, please see fincantierimarinettemarine.com/construction-update which will be the most up-to-dateinformation about temporary river closures, as well as examples of the type of work being completed.
Fincantieri Marine Group
Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). This company, which serves commercial and government customers in the U.S., including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (FincantieriMarinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located inthe Great Lakes. www.fincantierimarinegroup.com
Point of Contact: Eric Dent, Director of Communications | Fincantieri Marine Group
Eric.dent@us.fincantieri.com | (202) 488-4783
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