Bankruptcy of the Perini Navi shipyard
The Perini Navi shipyard, founded in 1983 by Fabio Perini, a specialist in superyachts known in particular for the Maltese Falcon, was finally declared bankrupt. The court in Lucca, Tuscany, handed down its verdict on 29 January 2021. In difficulty for many months, the builder, with 3 shipyards in Viareggio, its historic site, La Spezia and in Turkey, had accumulated a debt of 140 Meuros in 9 years. The court ordered the continuation of the activity in an attempt to preserve the know-how and the hundred or so remaining jobs.
Failure of the British investment fund
The difficulties of the Tuscany shipyard, known for months, had led to the blue Sky Investment Group, an investment fund, became a shareholder in September 2020 . The British company was to inject funds into the yard's capital alongside the Fenix holding company, the current owner, owned by the Tabacchi family, a large Italian fortune. The operation finally ended in failure and a waste of time according to the trade unions quoted by the local Italian press. "The company has been telling us for months that it had a rescue plan, but even after the investment fund came in, they never convinced us about the possibility of going back to work," explain Massimo Braccini and Mauro Rossi de la Cgil.
San Lorenzo and Ferretti potential buyers of Perini Navi
Although the legal proceedings have only just begun, two major players in the yachting industry are announced as potential buyers of the shipyard. The court will first have to evaluate the assets of Perini Navi. San Lorenzo, already in discussion before the arrival of the British Blue Skye fund and the Ferretti group are in line.
