The Royal Berth in the Old Dock. A more suitable place could not have been chosen to permanently welcome the queen of patrol boats, the Bruno Gregoretti CP132, used for over thirty years by the coastguard for sea rescue/salvage operations.
Decommissioned in 2007 from the coastguard’s shipping register and handed over to the Port Authority in 2012, for a number of years the vessel was moved back and forth between its temporary location, at the Andana degli Anelli, and the Lorenzoni and Lusben shipyards for necessary maintenance work.
Today, the legendary Gregoretti has returned to all its former splendor, thanks to a new location that enables it to be closely linked to the Port Center’s museum itinerary, due to its proximity to the swing-bridge that connects the city to the Old Fortress, one of Livorno’s most iconic monuments.
The motor launch’s new location was inaugurated yesterday afternoon at a ceremony organized by the Port Network Authority as part of series of events celebrating the European Maritime Day.
The initiative was attended by Port Authority managing director Matteo Paroli and two senior executives: Claudio Capuano and Cinthia De Luca. Also present were city councillor for port affairs, Barbara Bonciani, Harbour Master, Andrea Santini, and representatives from Stella Maris and the Mari-Fari Association.
During the ceremony, the vessel also received a blessing from Rev. Emil Tadeusz Kolaczyk, pastor at St. Ferdinand Church.
The patrol boat, which can already be visited upon reservation, will be used for training activities, which will be defined in detail on the basis of a signed memorandum of understanding between the Port Network Authority and the GDM (Gente di Mare Formazione Marittima) maritime training center.
Translation by Giles Foster
