The 73m/ 240ft custom motor yacht TITANIA has once again chosen Palumbo Superyachts Marseille for a three-week technical stop to prepare for the coming season and beyond. 

This comes as the positive outcome of meticulous planning and active collaboration between Palumbo Superyachts Guadalupe, where the yacht made an earlier call, and the Marseille shipyard. 

An integral approach broadly applied by all shipyards within the Palumbo network as part of their commitment to ensure that for each specific job-request is utilized the most appropriate range of resources, so as to guarantee best possible service all-round.

This stop has proved a good opportunity to carry out a thorough inspection and maintenance on a number of main mechanical parts like the stabilizers, the engine room ventilation system and the tender garage door. 

Actually, dismantling the 6.5 ton tender-garage door was in itself a fairly delicate operation that involved uncoupling it, before using chain blocks to safely and efficiently store it and service its locking mechanism.

Among the other jobs on her to-do list there are: sea chests works, a new standard gangway to access on board, works to engines, gearbox & generators, LED lighting upgrade in the Owner’s quarters and other miscellanea kind of works.

With no doubt, by the end of her three-week technical stop TITANIA will be running predictably and dependably like the proverbial clockwork, for endless hassle-free summer cruising in the Med.

photo credit Sigrun Sauerzapfe aka Siggi

The 163’11/ 49,95m motor yacht ALIBABA, delivered by ISA in 2011 under the name of “Papi du Papi”, features interior styled by Italian design house Francesco Paszkowski Design, who successfully managed to combine traditional with modern looks, and exterior signed by Andrea Vallicelli.

The vessel has recently called at the Ancona shipyard of Palumbo Superyachts for a major interior overhaul and a number of technical maintenance/repair works.

For the interior refit, the Palumbo team has collaborated with the very Francesco Paszkowski studio that originally penned ALIBABA’s interior design, in order to faithfully reproduce their renderings.

Thanks to the intense dedication of the whole team, excellent functional and aesthetic results were reached in all the areas involved, that is: Owner’s quarters, main saloon, beach club as well as the external areas of the main, upper and sun deck.

It is also worthy of mention that at a time when there are significant delays in the procurement of materials we, in team with all our partner companies, met the set deadlines, running against time but without ever compromising the quality standards.

Our great teamwork proved essential to the successful completion of this refit job. With mutual trust and respect, each individual figure involved – electricians, engineers, plumbers, programmer and so on – committed to the group effort to attain such uncommon results. Even the Captain expressed himself positively about it in the following brief interview released shortly afterwards.

Q.: How long have you been Captain on ALIBABA?

A.: I was  appointed to command the yacht in November 2021 and I count on being at her helm for a long time to come.

Q.: How often do you normally come out of the water for work and is there a certain yard you normally go to?

A.: We plan to come out of the water once a year. As for choosing the yard to go to, our decision depends on the type of work requested by the Owner. 

Q.: What benefits did Palumbo Superyachts offer over other yards?

A.: They showed to be very proactive, responding well to our requests.

Q.: Did the Palumbo team provide knowledge and experience in carrying out the services?

A.: Most definitely! …especially Diego Marinelli who proved to be the most useful Project Manager I’ve ever met. He’s very knowledgeable as well as being an effective influencer, capable of instilling confidence in the stakeholders to the point of making us want to come back to the yard.

Q.: Would you recommend Palumbo facilities to others?

A.: Except for the charges, yes I will recommend Palumbo facilities, especially if Diego is around.

Many thanks!

So, with no doubt now ALIBABA is in the best conditions to provide her Owner with an unforgettable summer cruising, and we look forward to being of His assistance in the future.

Owner introduced and Yacht managed by Unique Yachting Monaco

There are pictures worth a thousand words. This is exactly the case with the refit service provided by Palumbo Superyachts Malta to a 40 metre Ferretti yacht.

As you can see, these photos convey quite effectively the very interesting service provided recently by the Shipyard to a luxury motor yacht. 

The job involved the removal of the starboard side MTU main engine. So far, you may think it’s a fairly ordinary task, but read further and get to know it into details, and you’ll change your mind.

First of all, you must consider the dimensions and especially the weight of this type of engine, which is in the region of  3.000 kilos, that is over 6.600 pounds.

Secondly, you have to take into account the material this boat is made of, that is GRP.

Now you’re more likely to grow a serious appreciation for this job and recognize that this kind of removal is actually quite challenging.  

For a start, the Yard had to install a false deck made of steel plates in order to distribute the weight of the engine prior to commencing with the fabrication of a steel structure used to strengthen the load points of the forces produced when lifting up the engine. 

Once all this was accomplished, the team of Palumbo Superyachts Malta went on with the rest of the exercise that required to remove interior cabinets and mirrors in the way, as well as a large window pane on main deck to allow access from the side of the boat.

Needless to say that, once again, the team of Palumbo Superyachts Malta did a very good job and also accomplished the task in a timely manner, so to hand the yacht back to her proud Owner in time to fully enjoy a fabulous summer season cruising the Med.

As the season has come to the end, we can confidently say that it has been a busy year in the Caribbean, where the list of iconic yacht charter destinations is virtually endless. 

Now the boats are starting to head for the Mediterranean and prepare for their summer season there. The Med is the world’s most popular cruising destination after the Caribbean, thanks to its abundance of culture, stunning scenery and wonderful food. It compensates the lack of coral reefs with the abundance of coastlines overflowing with history and superb landscapes contrasting the sea with green vegetation of cedars, eucalyptus, jagged ridges, vertical rock faces and coves nestled between cliffs. Little can beat the thrill of gazing out over Venice as your ship glides up the Giudecca Canal, or the Parthenon under a dazzling blue sky with the whole of historic Athens stretching out below.

The key to enjoying a Mediterranean cruise, though, is to slow down, relax and maybe savour a lazy lunch on deck while sailing from Naples to Capri, capturing the true essence of the Mediterranean lifestyle. And while you take advantage of the good weather and admire the surrounding one-of-a-kind landscapes and views from aboard, Palumbo Superyachts looks after all your yacht needs, so to ensure you have a hassle-free luxury yachting experience. The Palumbo teams will be at your service either at the nearest of the several Palumbo Superyachts shipyards scattered through the Med, or reaching you wherever you are. And if you are planning to be in top shape for the Monaco Grand Prix, follow the example of M/Y Resilience and book yourself in at Palumbo Superyachts Marseille before the big event, unless you’ve already done it in the West Indies like M/Y Titania has.

Ziacanaia is a 30.95m yacht built and launched by the Italian shipyard Custom Line.

This 101.54ft motor yacht offers flexible accommodation for up to 8 guests in 4 cabins comprising a master suite, one VIP cabin, one double cabin and one twin cabin. In addition, she is also capable of carrying up to 5 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Ziacanaia features exterior and interior design by Zuccon International Project, while her naval architecture was developed by Custom Line in-house naval architects to RINA rules and in compliance with MCA regulations.

Built with a GRP hull and superstructure and with teak decks, she benefits from a semi-displacement hull to provide exceptional seakeeping and impressive speeds.

Powered by twin MAN engines, she cruises at 16 knots and reaches a maximum speed of 20 knots with a range of up to 1,600 nautical miles at 10 knots. Fitted with at-anchor stabilizers, she provides guests and crew the advantage of a roll-free on board experience.

Her bespoke fittings and design ensure guests can explore the ocean’s wonders in style, comfort and total safety.

As well as sauna and gym, Ziacanaia boasts an impressive array of outstanding amenities for truly out-of-this-world vacations that you’ll never forget. 

Though extensively refitted twice since delivery, proper maintenance goes a long way in keeping this pride and joy looking great.

To remove her first signs of age, expert repainting is the key to making her look like new again. This is why she’s been left into the capable hands of Palumbo Superyachts Ancona to attain the very best finish.

Painting fiberglass boats requires selecting the type of paint first, then making sure the surface has been properly prepped, and taking due care during the application.

So, in these circumstances the Palumbo team firstly remove all hardware (like rails, cleats, and vents) and repair any surface imperfections like chips or dings, before preparing the surface by washing, de-waxing and thoroughly sanding it. Then, they apply the primer and the paint.

This apparently quite easy job is actually a rather complex process involving a few crucial steps for the job to be done professionally. Here are few tips from the Palumbo team: good prep work, accurate de-waxing, ensuring that temperature and humidity are correct and consistent throughout the entire timeframe, and following the manufacturer’s instructions to a tee, being sure to allow the proper amount of cure-time between coats.

By the time Ziacanaia sets sail again she’ll be undisputedly looking her best!