Fincantieri and Navantia have reached an agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to boost their relationship and explore the joint benefit of a broadened collaboration in the naval and maritime domains.
Both companies, which are first class reference European shipyards, will assess future opportunities for Italian and Spanish Navies, including the development of joint projects and the participation in the development of future destroyers and other naval platforms that will be part of the future European Defense Force.
The signature took place Wednesday, November 3rd, in Navantia stand in FEINDEF exhibition in Madrid, by General Manager Naval Vessels Division of Fincantieri Giuseppe Giordo and Navantia Chairman Ricardo Domínguez.
Navantia and Fincantieri are already collaborating in the European Patrol Corvette (EPC) program, to date the most important naval initiative within the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project, together with the French Naval Group.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “We have long agreed that, in order to stand its ground with the global challenges of the future, we need a robust and long-lasting cooperation in the defense and security field at a European level, just so our continent will be able to play an increasingly important role and this agreement goes in that direction. We are therefore very satisfied to give substance to a plan that can no longer be postponed and to build a collaboration path based on important programs of the two Navies”.
Navantia’s Chairman Ricardo Domínguez emphasized that “the real opportunity of collaboration that this MoU represents, as it is the first one signed between both companies at this level and with this ambitious scope”.
“We aim to strengthen European Defense and boost European Defense Industry position and we think that agreements as ours pave the way towards this objective,” he added.
The Spanish shipbuilder NAVANTIA is a world reference in the design, building and integration of highly technological state-of-the-art war ships for the Spanish Navy, which makes it a strategic company, and for the international market. Its activities include the design and manufacture of Integrated Platform Management Systems, Fire Control Systems, Command and Control systems, Propulsion Plants and through life support for all its products. NAVANTIA has also taken steps towards diversification and has become a relevant actor in the area of offshore wind power.
NAVANTIA belongs to Grupo SEPI, a corporate holding which is made up by a total of 15 state-owned companies in which it has a direct majority shareholding participation and which employ more than 78,000 professionals.
Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, the only one active in all high-tech marine industry sectors. It is leader in the construction and transformation of cruise, naval and oil & gas and wind offshore vessels, as well as in the production of systems and component equipment, after-sales services and marine interiors solutions. Thanks to the expertise developed in the management of complex projects, the Group boasts first-class references in infrastructures, and is a reference player in digital technologies and cybersecurity, electronics and advanced systems.
With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, Fincantieri maintains its know-how, expertise and management centers in Italy, here employing 10,000 workers and creating around 90,000 jobs, which double worldwide thanks to a production network of 18 shipyards operating in four continents and over 20,000 employees.
