The Norwegian company had supplied materials for the construction of cruise ships that did not meet the safety standards guaranteed in the event of a fire on board.

Machined materials to pass tests and defective insulation panels were installed on a dozen cruise ships, including the luxury Explora I and II, and several naval vessels.

For this reason, Fincantieri has taken Wall Street-listed Owens Corning to court in the United States ( US ), accusing the company of supplying “fraudulently certified” and “intrinsically dangerous” insulation panels for its ships. These components allegedly caused the shipbuilding giant damages of over $100 million due to recalls, delivery delays, and negative image impacts.

The lawsuit filed by Fincantieri

The Financial Times revealed this, citing the lawsuit filed by Fincantieri last month in Ohio, alleging that Paroc, a Finnish subsidiary of Owens Corning, sold non-compliant products that the group led by Pierroberto Folgiero had installed on several vessels, including the first unit of MSC’s Explora I cruise ship, whose delivery had in fact been postponed by several months to 2023 due to safety risks.

The incident

The incident dates back to last summer, when Owens Corning and Paroc recalled a line of “defective and unsafe” rock wool panels to prevent “potential serious injuries or deaths.” The recall forced Fincantieri to suspend deliveries of some ships and modify construction plans for other newbuilding.

Certifications by “presenting manipulated materials”

Fincantieri claims that Paroc obtained certifications by “presenting manipulated materials” to pass the tests, different from those actually produced in series. The loss of certification has impacted at least 45 other ships from various global operators already operating on the market and built in years prior to 2023. After the postponement of the Explora I’s launch, the Trieste-based group identified ten other vessels—including military vessels, some already operational—equipped with the defective panels.

The court document

According to the court document, again reported by the Financial Times (Fincantieri declined to comment), the direct economic damage exceeds $100 million, in addition to “serious damage to the reputation and image” of Fincantieri, which had made international headlines at the time for this incident.

The company also accuses Owens Corning of failing to impose countermeasures on ships already in service, despite its own independent assessment having highlighted “a high safety risk on board.”

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Source : Shipping Italy

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