| PRINCESS CRUISES |
| CARIBBEAN PRINCESS |
INSIDE VIEW:
A Conversation with
Captain Marco Fortezze of
Caribbean Princess
by
Richard H. Wagner
A Conversation with
Captain Marco Fortezze of
Caribbean Princess
by
Richard H. Wagner
Captain Marco Fortezze was born in Genoa, Italy, a city with
a long seafaring history. As a boy, he enrolled at the San
Giorgio Nautical Institute. However, in order to determine
whether he had a true passion for his chosen career, Fortezze
spent his summer vacations working as a deck boy on ships.
"I decided I loved it. I was working with the sailors,
scraping and cleaning - - lots of dirty work. I think it was
good because I learned the basics."
The next step was to become a cadet with the Italian
Line, which had a corporate history that included such
legendary ocean liners as the Michelangelo, Raphael and
Andrea Doria. While his dream was to work on passenger
ships, Fortezze was assigned to the company's cargo division,
which included primarily container ships. Once again, the
work was rigorous. "Most of the officers came from being in
the [Italian] Navy. We were very much square and
disciplined."
Still, Fortezze sees the experience as having been quite
valuable. "The officers took good care of a young officer.
They taught me how to shoot a star with a sexton. At the time
there was electronic equipment [for navigation] but we were
still navigating in the old style as well just to keep up. They
wanted to make sure that we learned the right way to
navigate."
In addition, the officers involved the young cadet in the
actual running of the ship. When a cargo ship is going to pick
up cargo, a plan is drawn up as to how and where the
containers will be placed in order to, amongst other things,
ensure the ship is balanced and to facilitate the efficient off
loading of the cargo. The senior officers had the younger
officers study and comment upon the plan. Then, "we were
on the deck, checking the containers and making sure that the
containers were secured as planned. We were not in an
office, we were walking around."
Fortezze credits this hands-on experience with having
helped him advance rapidly through the officer ranks. In
1989, he was able to fulfill his dream of working on
passenger ships when he was offered a position as a third
officer with the Italian cruise line Sitmar. Shortly before that,
Sitmar had been purchased by P&O Line and soon after
Fortezze's arrival, Sitmar was merged into P&O's American
subsidiary, Princess Cruises. After passing his master's
license exam in 1992, Fortezze continued up the chain of
command at Princess, becoming a captain at age 40. "I don't
regret the discipline of the time because I believe it was
good. It probably helped me be at my position at a young
age."
Nonetheless, Fortezze's style of command is not
authoritarian. On the bridge, he is clearly in charge.
However, he does not have to have his hands on the ship's
controls every minute. Instead, he allows his subordinates to
participate in driving the ship. "I have always allowed my
officers to put their hands on and not be afraid. I try to pass
on what I know to others."
Rather than barking orders, Fortezze watches what is
going on, interrupting only occasionally. "I never try to
impose myself. I always suggest: 'Maybe it is better to
reduce speed. Shall we do this' and a pause to let them think
about it. I don't talk much, I just observe that they do the job
properly."
Driving Caribbean Princess
Captain Fortezze's experience has included driving all the
various classes of ship in the Princess fleet except the
variation on the Grand-class that was built in Japan (i.e.
Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess) and the small R-
class ships. "Each ship is a bit different. Each class of ship
acts more or less in the same way."
The majority of ships in the Princess fleet now are based
on the design first introduced with Grand Princess. Fortezze's
current command, Caribbean Princess, has one more deck
than the original Grand-class design and is sometimes
referred to as a Super-Grand class ship. "I love these ships
because it is a very maneuverable ship. It is like driving a
car. I treat my car very carefully and I treat my ship very
carefully."
"These ships are like a big sailing boat," he says
referring to the fact that the tall sides of Caribbean Princess
present a huge expanse to the wind. "So, the ship acts in
different ways [depending] upon the wind, how much it is
blowing, the direction it is blowing."
The wind is a particular concern when the ship is
docking or leaving a berth. "Yes, I have been in New York a
hundred times but today I do not know what can happen.
Things happen, the wind starts to blow. I want to be always
on alert. I try to keep a very high standard every time I enter
or leave a port."
To maneuver the ship and counteract the effect of the
wind, Caribbean Princess has three 2992 horse power bow
thrusters and three 2339 horse power stern thrusters to give
her sideways thrust. Her two fixed-pitch main propellers
give fore and aft thrust and used in combination with her two
rudders also influence the ship's direction.
The ship's computer guidance system can be set to bring
the ship along side a pier. "The computer can basically
adjust the power of the engines and propellers to move the
ship in that direction. Personally, I enjoy thinking about what
I have to do rather than [relying on] the computer."
Under normal circumstances, Caribbean Princess does
not need help from tug boats to dock or undock. "If we are
along side and have 25 or 30 knots on the beam, the chances
of the ship coming off the dock are very slim to nothing. We
cannot work the thrusters at full power because at full power
I do not have any extra if I need help. If I do not have the
spare power, I call for a tug boat. Through everything, safety
is always first in what we need to keep in mind."
When at sea, the ship is usually operating under her
computer guidance system. This system uses information
gathered from the radar, the GPS and other systems in order
to control the ship's propulsion and steering. Thus, the ship's
officers can program in a course and the computer will
maintain that course making adjustments for wind and
currents. Of course, the ship's officers oversee the system at
all times.
"The computer drives the ship from point A to point B.
My officer has to make sure that everything is working
properly and if we have any doubt, we immediately go to
manual steering."
One complicating factor is the weather. "The safety of
the people onboard is the most important part. So I
personally check and my officers check the weather forecast.
We try to avoid entering a storm. When unfortunately there is
nothing I can do [to avoid a storm], I adjust the speed
accordingly. I take every precaution and make the passengers
aware that we are entering bad weather."
The ship's computer guidance system also comes into
play in those situations where the ship cannot dock and must
use her tenders to ferry passengers ashore. If the ship can
anchor, the anchor will keep the bow in a fixed spot and "then
the computer will keep the ship in the same position with the
same heading, pushing the stern accordingly. We can then
operate [the tenders] safely on the [leeward] side."
In those circumstances when the ship cannot anchor, "the
computer keeps the heading plus it keeps the GPS position. It
knows where we are and that we want to hold this position
with this heading. It uses the thrusters, the main engines and
the rudders all together to keep the ship on our design."
Beyond driving
As captain of Caribbean Princess, Fortezze is in ultimate
charge of all aspects of the ship's operation. "We are
structured as in the old days - - the captain has full
responsibility."
To perform this function, the captain must necessarily
rely on his three principal direct reports. "They are the front
line. The passenger services director is in full charge of the
hotel operation. The chief engineer is in full charge of the
electronic and technical part. Then I have a staff captain who
basically runs the deck department and the security
department. Of course, they are all important to me but I do
not interfere with the operations. We all share information
and we do meetings where everyone expresses their opinion.
We decide things together if there is something to decide
together."
There is also a social aspect to the job. "My first part is
to drive the ship but at the end of the day, the contact with the
passengers onboard is very enjoyable - - our official function
like the Welcome Aboard Party, the Captain's Circle Party
and the Most Traveled Passengers Party. There are also
some groups that invite the captain. I also enjoy when I walk
around to stop and talk to any passenger I meet. It is a very
nice experience meeting people coming from so many
countries."
a long seafaring history. As a boy, he enrolled at the San
Giorgio Nautical Institute. However, in order to determine
whether he had a true passion for his chosen career, Fortezze
spent his summer vacations working as a deck boy on ships.
"I decided I loved it. I was working with the sailors,
scraping and cleaning - - lots of dirty work. I think it was
good because I learned the basics."
The next step was to become a cadet with the Italian
Line, which had a corporate history that included such
legendary ocean liners as the Michelangelo, Raphael and
Andrea Doria. While his dream was to work on passenger
ships, Fortezze was assigned to the company's cargo division,
which included primarily container ships. Once again, the
work was rigorous. "Most of the officers came from being in
the [Italian] Navy. We were very much square and
disciplined."
Still, Fortezze sees the experience as having been quite
valuable. "The officers took good care of a young officer.
They taught me how to shoot a star with a sexton. At the time
there was electronic equipment [for navigation] but we were
still navigating in the old style as well just to keep up. They
wanted to make sure that we learned the right way to
navigate."
In addition, the officers involved the young cadet in the
actual running of the ship. When a cargo ship is going to pick
up cargo, a plan is drawn up as to how and where the
containers will be placed in order to, amongst other things,
ensure the ship is balanced and to facilitate the efficient off
loading of the cargo. The senior officers had the younger
officers study and comment upon the plan. Then, "we were
on the deck, checking the containers and making sure that the
containers were secured as planned. We were not in an
office, we were walking around."
Fortezze credits this hands-on experience with having
helped him advance rapidly through the officer ranks. In
1989, he was able to fulfill his dream of working on
passenger ships when he was offered a position as a third
officer with the Italian cruise line Sitmar. Shortly before that,
Sitmar had been purchased by P&O Line and soon after
Fortezze's arrival, Sitmar was merged into P&O's American
subsidiary, Princess Cruises. After passing his master's
license exam in 1992, Fortezze continued up the chain of
command at Princess, becoming a captain at age 40. "I don't
regret the discipline of the time because I believe it was
good. It probably helped me be at my position at a young
age."
Nonetheless, Fortezze's style of command is not
authoritarian. On the bridge, he is clearly in charge.
However, he does not have to have his hands on the ship's
controls every minute. Instead, he allows his subordinates to
participate in driving the ship. "I have always allowed my
officers to put their hands on and not be afraid. I try to pass
on what I know to others."
Rather than barking orders, Fortezze watches what is
going on, interrupting only occasionally. "I never try to
impose myself. I always suggest: 'Maybe it is better to
reduce speed. Shall we do this' and a pause to let them think
about it. I don't talk much, I just observe that they do the job
properly."
Driving Caribbean Princess
Captain Fortezze's experience has included driving all the
various classes of ship in the Princess fleet except the
variation on the Grand-class that was built in Japan (i.e.
Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess) and the small R-
class ships. "Each ship is a bit different. Each class of ship
acts more or less in the same way."
The majority of ships in the Princess fleet now are based
on the design first introduced with Grand Princess. Fortezze's
current command, Caribbean Princess, has one more deck
than the original Grand-class design and is sometimes
referred to as a Super-Grand class ship. "I love these ships
because it is a very maneuverable ship. It is like driving a
car. I treat my car very carefully and I treat my ship very
carefully."
"These ships are like a big sailing boat," he says
referring to the fact that the tall sides of Caribbean Princess
present a huge expanse to the wind. "So, the ship acts in
different ways [depending] upon the wind, how much it is
blowing, the direction it is blowing."
The wind is a particular concern when the ship is
docking or leaving a berth. "Yes, I have been in New York a
hundred times but today I do not know what can happen.
Things happen, the wind starts to blow. I want to be always
on alert. I try to keep a very high standard every time I enter
or leave a port."
To maneuver the ship and counteract the effect of the
wind, Caribbean Princess has three 2992 horse power bow
thrusters and three 2339 horse power stern thrusters to give
her sideways thrust. Her two fixed-pitch main propellers
give fore and aft thrust and used in combination with her two
rudders also influence the ship's direction.
The ship's computer guidance system can be set to bring
the ship along side a pier. "The computer can basically
adjust the power of the engines and propellers to move the
ship in that direction. Personally, I enjoy thinking about what
I have to do rather than [relying on] the computer."
Under normal circumstances, Caribbean Princess does
not need help from tug boats to dock or undock. "If we are
along side and have 25 or 30 knots on the beam, the chances
of the ship coming off the dock are very slim to nothing. We
cannot work the thrusters at full power because at full power
I do not have any extra if I need help. If I do not have the
spare power, I call for a tug boat. Through everything, safety
is always first in what we need to keep in mind."
When at sea, the ship is usually operating under her
computer guidance system. This system uses information
gathered from the radar, the GPS and other systems in order
to control the ship's propulsion and steering. Thus, the ship's
officers can program in a course and the computer will
maintain that course making adjustments for wind and
currents. Of course, the ship's officers oversee the system at
all times.
"The computer drives the ship from point A to point B.
My officer has to make sure that everything is working
properly and if we have any doubt, we immediately go to
manual steering."
One complicating factor is the weather. "The safety of
the people onboard is the most important part. So I
personally check and my officers check the weather forecast.
We try to avoid entering a storm. When unfortunately there is
nothing I can do [to avoid a storm], I adjust the speed
accordingly. I take every precaution and make the passengers
aware that we are entering bad weather."
The ship's computer guidance system also comes into
play in those situations where the ship cannot dock and must
use her tenders to ferry passengers ashore. If the ship can
anchor, the anchor will keep the bow in a fixed spot and "then
the computer will keep the ship in the same position with the
same heading, pushing the stern accordingly. We can then
operate [the tenders] safely on the [leeward] side."
In those circumstances when the ship cannot anchor, "the
computer keeps the heading plus it keeps the GPS position. It
knows where we are and that we want to hold this position
with this heading. It uses the thrusters, the main engines and
the rudders all together to keep the ship on our design."
Beyond driving
As captain of Caribbean Princess, Fortezze is in ultimate
charge of all aspects of the ship's operation. "We are
structured as in the old days - - the captain has full
responsibility."
To perform this function, the captain must necessarily
rely on his three principal direct reports. "They are the front
line. The passenger services director is in full charge of the
hotel operation. The chief engineer is in full charge of the
electronic and technical part. Then I have a staff captain who
basically runs the deck department and the security
department. Of course, they are all important to me but I do
not interfere with the operations. We all share information
and we do meetings where everyone expresses their opinion.
We decide things together if there is something to decide
together."
There is also a social aspect to the job. "My first part is
to drive the ship but at the end of the day, the contact with the
passengers onboard is very enjoyable - - our official function
like the Welcome Aboard Party, the Captain's Circle Party
and the Most Traveled Passengers Party. There are also
some groups that invite the captain. I also enjoy when I walk
around to stop and talk to any passenger I meet. It is a very
nice experience meeting people coming from so many
countries."
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Cruise Ship - Caribbean Princess - Cruise Ship Feature Article -Capatin Fortezze - page 1
Captain Marco Fortezze
Captain Fortezze overseeing the bridge.
Above: Captain Fortezze at the Captain's
Circle Party.
Below: Addressing the Welcome Aboard
Party.
Circle Party.
Below: Addressing the Welcome Aboard
Party.
Making an announcement from the
controls on the bridge wing.
controls on the bridge wing.
