Fincantieri invests €600 million in underwater acquisitions to build champion

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced the acquisition of majority stakes in four companies—Next Geosolutions, WSense, Graal Tech and Defcomm—for an initial outlay of about €600 million. The deals create an integrated underwater platform that will bring together eight specialized firms and roughly 1,500 professionals across Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Arab Emirates. The new “underwater” pole is projected to generate pro‑forma revenue of €1.1 billion and EBITDA of €220 million by 2026, accelerating the Group’s 2026‑2030 industrial plan by four years. CEO Pierroberto Folgiero called the moves a “historic transformation” that will strengthen both defence and civilian markets, including protection of critical subsea infrastructure such as cables and pipelines. In a related interview, Folgiero warned that hybrid warfare increasingly threatens European underwater assets, underscoring the strategic importance of the newly created capabilities.