Interview with Mario Mignacca, Technical & Marine Director of Mozzanica
One of the fundamental requirements requested by shipping companies and shipowners is the ability to provide technical and logistical support that guarantees speed of execution anywhere in the world and is certified according to international standards.
The technological and organizational know-how necessary to successfully ensure the safety aspects of goods and people in sectors such as the marine one must be multidisciplinary and of the highest level in order to guarantee compliance with the regulatory standards required by the sector, the proper training of on-board personnel and the operations of systems and equipment during navigation.
To delve deeper into these topics, we interviewed Mr. Mario Mignacca, Technical Director and Head of the Marine Division at Mozzanica.
Mr. Mignacca, what are the key points that make the Mozzanica marine division unique?
I can summarize the marine division in four main points: technical preparation, organization, logistics, and worldwide customer support.
What do you mean by technical preparation?
Technical preparation means that all our technicians have the necessary engineering skills and know-how acquired through years of experience in the field. Additionally, Mozzanica is certified by major international classification bodies as a fire protection systems supplier. Periodically, the entire Mozzanica staff undergoes audits by these classification bodies, during which all internal processes and maintenance procedures used on board ships are analyzed.
Please tell us about the other three points: organization, logistics and customer support.
Certainly. First of all, organization is crucial because, in a complex environment like a ship, where maneuvering space is limited and the time given by shipowners to execute jobs is equally constrained—whether for routine maintenance activities or turnkey systems in dry docks—it is fundamentally important to plan and organize every single phase. This ranges from the more macro aspects, such as gathering and preparing materials and equipment, to managing micro elements such as the entry passes for authorized technicians into the shipyard, considering that our activities are mainly conducted abroad and far from our headquarters. Therefore, nothing can be left to chance and everything must be planned in meticulous detail.
Logistics management, our strength, also plays a fundamental role because our logistics team can organize the movement of a single toolbox for a specific service or the transportation of four 40-foot containers for executing a turnkey system on the other side of the world.
Another important aspect of the marine division’s activity is our service, which, in collaboration with our global network, ensures the delivery of spare parts to any corner of the world within 24 hours.
Moreover, our mobile units in containers for offices, workshops, and storage of materials and equipment are a tangible response to the organization I mentioned earlier. They allow us to establish a local operational unit to manage and coordinate the technicians involved in the project and to organize the supply chain with the headquarters, significantly reducing completion times.
Finally, customer support is vital because Mozzanica, as a general contractor, can also handle the contractual and organizational aspects required by the complexity of a ship. This includes the supervision and turnkey delivery of highly complex systems and the training of crews and customer personnel.
What is the approach of the Marine Team when structuring a new project?
First of all, it is necessary to analyze the scenario where the safety system will be installed. Our technicians conduct surveys on board the ship and compile a detailed report of the current state, complete with supporting photographic material.
Afterwards, an analysis of the hazardous substances (paints, flammable liquids, kitchen areas, etc.) present in the area to be protected is conducted. This helps us understand which fire protection technology is the most effective.
Finally, a general risk analysis is carried out, taking into account all the relevant regulatory requirements.
What markets do you operate in within the marine sector?
Our clientele ranges from the cruise sector to military ships, technical ships, and FPSOs. Mozzanica adopts the best technologies for fire detection and prevention during the engineering, design, and revamping phases of ship systems, thanks to over three decades of experience gained in the major industrial sectors on land and in oil & gas.
What type of firefighting technology is used in the marine sector?
All the main technologies for fire detection and prevention are adopted with sometimes very complex systems and solutions, depending on the characteristics of the area to be protected.
Fire & gas detection systems, water-based fire protection systems, CO2 or inert gas systems, foam systems, deluge systems, and other systems are all potentially effective.
Can you tell us about an example of a system you have implemented?
In over 20 years of activity in the marine sector, I could tell you hundreds of stories.
To give you an idea of the scale of the projects we manage on a daily basis, in one of our recent projects at the most important shipyard in Spain, we laid over 14,000 meters of cable and integrated 300 points among the different types of systems on board.
Over this long period, the Mozzanica team has acquired different skills in the field that allow us to manage even very complex situations today.
On board ships, we install fire protection systems that we design and perform over 300 interventions per year in dry docks, maintenance, spare parts supply and FFA systems.