Mondomarine turns 100
On September 14 SuperyachtNews.com attended the Mondomarine centennial presentation and gala dinner. The Italian shipyard presented the industry with a book that chronicles Mondomarine's history and also cast an optimistic glance towards the future. …
On September 14 Mondomarine, the Savona-based shipyard, celebrated its 100th anniversary by presenting a book to mark its centennial followed by a gala dinner and entertainment that continued into the early hours.
The Stroppiana family of the Mondo Group established the brand in 1978, but its heritage stretches back to the turn of the century and Campanella Cantieri Navali that occupied the current production site and launched early superyachts such as 48m M/Y Mohamedia in 1975 for Adnan Khashoggi, the Saudi Arabian billionaire.
In 2007 a watershed superyacht was 50.5m Tribù, the full-displacement steel superyacht for Luciano Benetton. Following the 2008 economic downturn, the Mondo Group refocused attention on its core business in rubber surfaces for sports arenas and its yacht building activities slowed. Enter Alessandro Falciai, a passionate yacht owner and telecommunications executive who, following a positive experience of refitting his own yacht with Mondomarine, acquired the brand in 2013. Falciai was joined by Roberto Zambrini, formerly with SAIM and Sanlorenzo, as a stakeholder and Managing Director.
“This anniversary is significant because it provides the opportunity to look back at our significant achievements of the past, but also to look forward with optimism to the challenges that lie ahead in the future,” said Falciai. “I would add that we are a total custom shipyard; when a client comes to Mondomarine they come not so much to build a boat, but to build a dream.”
The pair immediately set about reviving the brand’s image. Building on the work of established designers such as Cor D. Rover, Luca Dini, Sergio Cutolo and Francesco Paszkowski, newcomers like Hot Lab were also invited to submit concepts. New investments have included the modernisation of the administration building and a joint venture with Sease Yachting Co., Ltd. to build fibreglass Mondo Marine motoryachts in China. More recently, Mondomarine acquired Cantieri di Pisa, formerly part of the Baglietto group and designer Luca Dini has completed the restyling of two classic models once produced by the brand: the Akhir and Kitalpha. The yard is also looking to expand its current production site and is in negotiation with the local authorities in Savona.
During the last nine years, Mondomarine has sold 20 yachts over 40m, of which eight are over 50m. Five units are under construction for a total length of over 300 linear metres. Floodlit during the centennial festivities and slung from the yard’s travel lift, was the new SF40 designed by Luca Vallebona, which will be presented at the upcoming Monaco Yacht Show. A 60m, 50m and 54m are also under construction.
The Stroppiana family of the Mondo Group established the brand in 1978, but its heritage stretches back to the turn of the century and Campanella Cantieri Navali that occupied the current production site and launched early superyachts such as 48m M/Y Mohamedia in 1975 for Adnan Khashoggi, the Saudi Arabian billionaire.
In 2007 a watershed superyacht was 50.5m Tribù, the full-displacement steel superyacht for Luciano Benetton. Following the 2008 economic downturn, the Mondo Group refocused attention on its core business in rubber surfaces for sports arenas and its yacht building activities slowed. Enter Alessandro Falciai, a passionate yacht owner and telecommunications executive who, following a positive experience of refitting his own yacht with Mondomarine, acquired the brand in 2013. Falciai was joined by Roberto Zambrini, formerly with SAIM and Sanlorenzo, as a stakeholder and Managing Director.
“This anniversary is significant because it provides the opportunity to look back at our significant achievements of the past, but also to look forward with optimism to the challenges that lie ahead in the future,” said Falciai. “I would add that we are a total custom shipyard; when a client comes to Mondomarine they come not so much to build a boat, but to build a dream.”
The pair immediately set about reviving the brand’s image. Building on the work of established designers such as Cor D. Rover, Luca Dini, Sergio Cutolo and Francesco Paszkowski, newcomers like Hot Lab were also invited to submit concepts. New investments have included the modernisation of the administration building and a joint venture with Sease Yachting Co., Ltd. to build fibreglass Mondo Marine motoryachts in China. More recently, Mondomarine acquired Cantieri di Pisa, formerly part of the Baglietto group and designer Luca Dini has completed the restyling of two classic models once produced by the brand: the Akhir and Kitalpha. The yard is also looking to expand its current production site and is in negotiation with the local authorities in Savona.
New Kitalpha designed by Luca Dini to be built by Cantieri di Pisa (photo credit: J. Ratcliffe)
During the last nine years, Mondomarine has sold 20 yachts over 40m, of which eight are over 50m. Five units are under construction for a total length of over 300 linear metres. Floodlit during the centennial festivities and slung from the yard’s travel lift, was the new SF40 designed by Luca Vallebona, which will be presented at the upcoming Monaco Yacht Show. A 60m, 50m and 54m are also under construction.
Profile links
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
