The President of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, and the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Fincantieri, Pierroberto Folgiero, signed today in Palermo a contract for the construction of a new ro-pax ferry for a basic amount auction of almost 120 million euros. The ship, which will come entirely built in the shipyard of Palermo, will be owned by the regional authority and will carry out the service connecting Sicily and the islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria.

The ferry, which will be delivered in 2026, will have a length of about 140 meters and about 14,500 tons of tonnage Gross. It can reach a maximum speed of 19 knots and will have a capacity of 1,000 people and 200 cars. The ship will be equipped with a dual fuel engine powered by diesel and liquefied natural gas. It will also have a photovoltaic system that, thanks to the accumulation of energy in a battery unit, will guarantee the permanence in port with emissions zero for about four hours.

"Ours - underlined Schifani on the occasion of the signature - is the first Region in Italy to field funds that the Ministry of Transport has allocated to connections by sea and is the first to be the total owner of a ferry. We will improve quality and safety standards of naval transport to Lampedusa and Pantelleria, with a ship modern and that guarantees great attention also to respect the environment'.

The Regional Councillor for Infrastructure and Mobility, Alessandro Aricò, added that it is "a extraordinary result: Sicily - he explained - is the first Region in Italy to have commissioned a ship, financed pursuant to Law 208/2015 establishing a finalized fund direct purchase for the improvement of public transport. The Region - specified Aricò - will have the possibility, As foreseen by the announcement, to exercise the option for the construction of a second vessel'.

"The award of this order - he commented Folgiero - represents an important test for Fincantieri. In a industrial sector that over time has moved to Asian shipyards, we have the opportunity to bring back Italy the production of ferries, rehabilitate our skills historical in the industry and demonstrate the ability to be competitive while ensuring the highest standards productive, with benefits in terms of uptime and sustainability that will reach the end user. Point The strength of our project are, once again, the technologies for the reduction of environmental impact, which intercept the needs of the energy transition, designed to outline the the maritime transport sector of tomorrow'.