From construction to Coast Guard boats, the Piloda group's journey

Economy

Nearly 30 years ago, in 1997, the Port of Genoa sold a super floating dry dock (350 meters long, 80 meters wide, and 25 meters high, capable of handling vessels up to 100,000 tons) to Karaman Sadikoglu, entrepreneur at the helm of the Turkish shipyard Tuzla Shipyard & Tourism, who towed it to Turkey: it remains operational today. In recent days, a floating dry dock arrived under tow from Turkey, via a seemingly reverse route, at another important Italian port: Naples.

It is a 143-meter-long, 30-meter-wide structure with a lifting capacity of up to 6,000 tons. It was purchased and transported to the Naples port by Piloda Shipyard, the nautical division of Piloda Group, founded in the 1960s in Naples by Donato Di Palo and initially focused primarily on urban construction projects, such as the Polytechnic University and the city stadium. From these experiences, an entrepreneurial story developed that, through evolution and diversification, led to the creation of a network of companies, including Shipyard.

The first investment in the nautical and maritime sector was in the port of Forio d'Ischia in 2014, followed by more recent investments in shipyards in the ports of Brindisi and Naples. The investments made to complete these acquisitions amounted to approximately €60 million.

The dock, named Donn'Anna, explains Di Palo, CEO of the Piloda group, "was built in 2007 but recently underwent a major modernization, with upgrades to the electrical and automation systems. The purchase cost was over 15 million euros, while the transportation from Türkiye to Naples cost approximately 400,000 euros."

The facility was designed to meet the growing needs of the company's military division, which recently secured a significant naval defense contract: "The order," Di Palo explains, "is for the construction of vessels for the Coast Guard; it involves the construction of 40 SAR (Search and Rescue) vessels, each 14 meters long, and includes support services for all of them for the first 10 years of operation. The deal is valued at approximately €150 million."

Piloda has won the public tender for the construction of these vessels, and in the first phase, four units will be built, which will form the initial core of the order. The vessels will be developed based on a design by the Turkish company VN Maritime Technologies, which incorporates the patented ÖK Hull technology, licensed from the Icelandic company Rafnar. The collaboration between the two companies focuses on the integration of cutting-edge technologies, with a particular focus on the use of artificial intelligence and remote control systems for surface and underwater drones. Indeed, one of the goals of the partnership between Piloda and VN is the development of joint projects for unmanned systems.

Meanwhile, in Naples, at the end of a voyage of over a thousand nautical miles (coordinated by Cafimar, in collaboration with its subsidiary Somat), the new dock that will help develop these projects has arrived. It was designed, the company explains, to offer maximum operational autonomy, high technical efficiency, and reduced environmental impact.

The floating structure's key features include independent systems (two rail-mounted cranes, six winches, generators, autonomous lighting and electrical systems, as well as integrated tanks for collecting dry dock water); a digital system integrated with proprietary software (which allows for safe simultaneous operations, reducing ship downtime and optimizing costs); and advanced environmental management (an internal, autonomous system for containing and emptying up to 50,000 liters of bilge and dry dock water, eliminating the need for external barges and reducing environmental impact).

In addition to the nautical sector, as mentioned, the group has long been involved in the construction industry. Through its operating arm, Piloda Building, it operates in various sectors and undertakes major projects, especially in Campania. In Scampia, Piloda Building is completing an ambitious project aimed at transforming the former Vela Verde site into a modern eco-neighborhood. The project involves the construction of 145 new apartments: 97 distributed across the three buildings of Lot A and 48 in Lot L. The eco-neighborhood, surrounded by greenery, will also include nurseries, a civic center, and large community spaces. All buildings will be built to energy efficiency standards, ensuring minimal environmental impact and high levels of living comfort. The project involves 100 workers, 25 specialized subcontractors, and 50 Piloda Building engineers and designers.

It's still about suburban redevelopment, but with a different approach, as in many cases, we work with the residents themselves. We're talking about the project that Piloda Group is carrying out on building P4 of Comprensorio 10, located on Via Edoardo Scarpetta, in the Ponticelli neighborhood of Naples. This neighborhood was originally developed as a post-earthquake social housing development and is located in a strategically important area for the City of Naples, near the Ponticelli-Barra exit of State Road 162, Via Argine, and the Palavesuvio sports center.

The project, envisaged by a €30 million contract, is promoted by the Municipality, with the technical support of a temporary consortium of professionals (Studio Settimana7, Perillo Ingegneria, Stain Engineering, and Studio Valle), and is part of the national program "Safe, Green, and Social," funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), with the goal of redeveloping public housing. The project aims to transform an area that has been degraded for years into a model of livability, energy efficiency, and seismic safety, promoting social cohesion.

Finally, the group is engaged in new work, just begun, at Naples' Capodichino Airport. The expansion of the Naples airport is underway, following record growth in airport traffic. Work is scheduled to be completed gradually through 2026, making the airport more efficient, modern, and accessible, in line with the more than 12.6 million passengers expected in 2024.

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