Balducci (Overmarine): "The next step in sustainability in the nautical industry will take 4-5 years."

Cannes (France) – Among the Italian superyacht shipyards on display at the Cannes Yachting Festival, the Overmarine Group also stood out, exhibiting its Mangusta 104 Rev and Mangusta GranSport 33 at the French event.

Also meeting and dealing directly with several major shipowners was Maurizio Balducci, CEO of the company currently building a second shipyard in Pisa. During the show, Balducci dedicated a few minutes of his time to SUPER YACHT 24 to share the latest news and forecasts for the Overmarine Group's near future.

Let's start by telling you how the year is going for your group in terms of sales, new projects, and feedback you're getting from the market.

"It continues to be a very positive period, we're very happy with what we're doing; even in terms of sales, we've already sold all of 2024 and a good portion of 2025, so we can look forward to working with peace of mind. I must say that right now, the thing we're focusing on most is production, in order to meet delivery times, which is our priority for satisfying our customers."

Are you able to do this despite the many critical issues that all construction sites have to deal with?

“We did it, but I have to say it's very challenging, it's a great challenge, but when the sales side is going well you have to focus on the production side.”

Looking to the near future, what do you see for your project? Are you worried about a slowdown?

“We are working on new projects, even new ideas, but we like to announce them when they are ready.”

Any clues as to which direction you're going?

“We're taking various directions, always within our core business, so on boats like the ones we brought here to Cannes, but we have some good ideas that we'll unveil in the coming years.”

How are you doing in terms of production capacity?

"We're doubling our production capacity with a new construction site in Pisa, and we're meeting our needs there. We're expanding our production staff, so we're investing in human resources. We've never made any acquisitions; our growth has always been gradual, step by step."

Are you also looking at diversification into services, refits, and other complementary business segments?

“We are focused on our core business, which is currently taking up all our resources, so we are focusing on that.”

Any numbers on Overmarine's results over the last year?

Our turnover this year will be around €150 million, so we've increased compared to previous years, and next year we'll increase even further, reaching around €200 million. These are positive numbers, but, as I always say, the most important thing to never lose sight of is having happy customers. What makes me happy is that we've satisfied all our customers again this year.

Speaking of sustainability and new technologies, how do you address this challenge?

We're in contact with major engine manufacturers, and we're evaluating new solutions with them, which, however, will take a few more years to reach market. Our goal is to achieve real sustainability; globally, and not just in our industry, sustainability is currently a matter of lip service and little substance. In four or five years, we could have many solutions, but this is the term I see in our industry, and I'm trying to build a demo boat.

But the question is, do shipowners really want sustainability?

"It's truly the first question clients ask us; there's a real awareness building up, and it's tangible. When we work with our clients, we need to give them truly developed projects. Let me add something..."

Please…

A message that isn't always clear: in our industry, we've been doing a lot for sustainability for years, and our clients are aware of it, so we've already done everything technically possible by using new materials and reducing the weight of boats. Over the past 10 years, we've also managed to reduce fuel consumption by about 30% on boats of the same size and speed. The next step, which will be truly revolutionary and will involve the propulsion system with fuel changes, is also the most difficult; we're working on it, but it will take a few more years for the technology to be ready for use.

What if you had to highlight a critical issue that needs to be resolved at the Italian level or at the nautical industry level?

I must say that right now, we Italians shouldn't feel too sorry for ourselves. We're working very well, and we even have regulations that are competitive with our European and global competitors. What we need to push hardest is training in the nautical industry. I think we need to invest in that, but not just in our industry, given that a large portion of Italian production comes from craftsmanship, and craftsmanship is made with people. We need to convey the message that those fortunate enough to know how to work with their hands, if they have passion, do wonderful work, and we must do everything we can to encourage them to follow that path.

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