Nautica Toscana: the superyacht hub that anticipates the future of the blue economy

The Tuscan recreational boating sector is developing into an ecosystem of advanced manufacturing, applied materials research, and the integration of complex energy systems. This industrial transformation was discussed by the speakers at the forum "Nautica Toscana: Engine of Sustainable Innovation," promoted by the Rotary Club of Pisa Pacinotti to outline strategies for the global Blue Economy.

The forum, held at Amer Yachts' new facility at Navicelli in Pisa, a €20 million facility inaugurated a few months ago, opened with greetings from Rotary Club President Luca Paoletti and continued with a speech by Stefano Bottai, vice president of Confindustria Pisa. Describing the 600.000-square-meter site as an increasingly dense hub of shipyards and nautical industry activities, he highlighted ongoing public investments: €30 million from the government for the canal piling project, and the upcoming regional allocation for the new Calambrone bridge. This vital project will allow superyachts to directly access the sea, eliminating the current crossing of the commercial port of Livorno, thus unlocking the development the market demands.

Simone Morganti, director of the Port Authority of Pisa Srl and project leader of the conference, focused his speech on the importance of working together, conveying greetings from President Mirko Benetti. "The Navicelli Canal confirms its role as the lifeline of this district," Morganti explained, highlighting how the stability of state-owned businesses represents the true economic multiplier for the area and how sustainability and innovation are no longer regulatory constraints to be endured, but fundamental vectors through which to generate economic value and widespread well-being.

Pietro Angelini, general manager of Navigo, commented on the macroeconomic factors of the Tuscan cluster, which extends to La Spezia. The district accounts for 40% of the global production of vessels over 30 meters, relies on 5.000 subcontractors and 22.000 employees, and boasts training programs such as ITS Isyl (92% employment within six months of graduation). A demographic analysis shows that the average age of shipowners has dropped from 76 to 46 in twenty years, defining a young and digitally savvy profile. Angelini also revealed enormous potential: global wealth has quintupled in recent years, yet the nautical industry captures just 5% of this potential market. In this scenario, the refit and winter maintenance segment in protected inland waterways becomes a vital asset for ensuring economic stability and job continuity for the entire coastal supply chain.

The need for strong port governance was the focus of Raffaele Latrofa, president of the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Port Authority, during his presentation. He outlined the major energy projects implemented at the Civitavecchia hub and scalable throughout the Tuscan district. These include an €80 million Cold Ironing plan for dock electrification and the establishment of a port Hydrogen Valley, in coordination with the Cfft freight terminal, for autonomous generation of clean energy.

The forum also opened a window on unconventional logistics solutions, such as that presented by Maurizio Nerini, Pisa councilor with responsibility for the coast, regarding a study for a seaplane base at Bocca d'Arno, linked to the Dornier and Cmasa aircraft fabrication tradition. Nerini envisioned rapid air-sea lines with eco-efficient seaplanes seating four to eighteen passengers to connect the coast with the Italian archipelago, Corsica, Sardinia, and Marseille. This type of transport, he said, would guarantee operating and energy costs two to three times lower than helicopters, offering a strategic "air tender" for the owners and crews of large yachts over 70 meters.

In terms of propulsion, luxury yachting is embodying the evolution Tesla has brought to the automotive industry: a high-budget incubator capable of experimenting with solutions destined, only later, for the mass market. This is the thesis of Damiano Landi (AEIT advisor), who shifts the focus to coastal smart grids and sodium batteries, considered a strategic weapon to break free from the Asian rare earth monopoly. But for large yachts, the real breakthrough lies in green hydrogen and the integration of fuel cells in the hold, technologically complementary to batteries. This practical application allows diesel generators to be turned off during anchorages, eliminating emissions without sacrificing onboard services. This transition, Landi clarified, could proceed "in a mosaic" fashion: starting with infrastructure in production yards, such as Navicelli, and then expanding to strategic ports such as Elba, guaranteeing shipowners a secure support network along summer routes.

This drive for efficiency is also fundamentally reshaping the management of onshore facilities. Davide Del Grano, CEO of SEP Energia Srl, explained how the ESCO formula applied to shipbuilding allows for an immediate 60% reduction in energy bills through self-consumption thanks to a 1.000 kW photovoltaic system on the warehouse roofs, at no cost to the entrepreneur and with asset redemption after ten years of depreciation. This pragmatism aligns with the strategic vision expressed by Michele Contini (Ernst & Young). Analyzing the impact of the European CSRD Directive on corporate reporting, Contini guides the supply chain to view sustainability no longer as a bureaucratic burden or a "passive" accounting of emissions, but as a cornerstone of business continuity and market risk management, to be built using open innovation and structural co-design with suppliers.

In this ecosystem, coordinating materials chemistry and closed-loop industrial processes represents the challenge for reducing the waste of traditional composites. Asked directly about the topic, Barbara Amerio, CEO of Amer Yachts, revealed how onboard telemetry has overturned old design models: real-world data shows that owners prefer displacement sailing over top speeds, and this awareness requires a shift in engine room design toward lighter, modular architectures. Fewer horsepower means less structural weight, and this lower weight directly helps the boat reduce real-world fuel consumption.

Along these lines of lightweighting, Barbara Amerio and Simone Zanelli, sales manager for Diab Group, presented the results of mechanical tests conducted on a 30-meter structural blanket made from a combination of thermoplastic resins, basalt fibers, and a recycled PET core made from industrial waste and plastic bottles. Zanelli highlighted how this composite sandwich, already approved by RINA for structural use, allows for the complete separation of the materials and their complete reintroduction into the economic cycle through furnace heating at the end of its lifespan. Along the same lines, Lorenzo Romani, marketing manager for Dife SpA, noted that traditional fiberglass waste fuels an export flow of 50.000 tons to European waste-to-energy plants annually, and therefore recyclable matrices are crucial for retaining material in the country. In parallel, Diego Alfani, founder of Lignea, illustrated the use of phenolic okoumé plywood, explaining how engineered wood acts as a biological carbon sink capable of trapping carbon and offsetting the carbon footprint of the lithium batteries installed on board.

The conference concluded with a discussion by Barbara Amerio on Amer Yachts' digital innovation efforts. The entrepreneur illustrated the international patent for "smart molds" (also extended to wind power): thermomechanical sensors in the dies detect seasonal deformations, allowing for early mold corrections and avoiding time-consuming grouting work on the final product. This meticulous data control extends to the mapping of over 5.000 supplier and component invoices for the upcoming introduction of digital product passports, and to the application of Artificial Intelligence systems to onboard technical documentation. Tested on a 74-meter vessel with an innovative female-led startup from Genoa, the system converts the enormous engine room manuals into a natural-language virtual assistant that can be queried by the crew to accelerate predictive maintenance procedures at sea.

Featured in the photo: from left Del Grano, Contini, Amerio, Landi, Zanelli, Alfani, Paoletti

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from left Angelini, Landi, Nerini, Latrofa