Eco-ship for d'Amico Group, cut fuel use

(ANSA) - Kurashiki, Japan, February 3 - The d'Amico Group has inaugurated its Cielo d'Italia, an eco-ship destined to be the largest and most innovative in the more than 60-year history of the Italian shipping company. On Tuesday at the Sanoyas Shipbuilding Corp. shipyards in Mizushima, in central Japan, the ship was officially christened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the breaking of the champagne bottle as well as best wishes in the presence of the heads of the companies involved. This marks a key step in the strategic plan for 2014-16 in which the d'Amico Group has invested approximately $1.2 billion, by ordering 38 new ships, both bulkers and tanker vessels. "At the end of the period," says the president Paolo d'Amico, "we will have a fleet with an average age of three years, with greater attention to the environment".
    The Cielo d'Italia, which will be joined in the first quarter of 2016 by a sister ship, uses standard hi-tech developed by coordinating the technical departments of the two companies and that of the trading company Mitsui.
    The freighter, with its 117,000 deadweight tons, a length of 245 meters and a width of 43 meters, promises to improve performance by reducing emissions and fuel consumption by as much as 20%, setting new standards for the international market.
    "Today we celebrate the delivery and naming of the largest ship in the history of our company," said CEO Cesare d'Amico.
    "We are proud to complete a process that began in 2008," despite the global financial crisis and a general environment for the industry that "remains challenging".