Global supply chains are becoming increasingly regionalized, while the maritime and digital corridors connecting Europe and Asia are growing more exposed to disruption. In this environment, industry, geopolitics and security are increasingly intertwined, turning shipbuilding and infrastructure protection into strategic assets rather than purely industrial domains.
Focus: India. India is emerging as one of the world’s most relevant maritime markets.
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- The Modi government views shipbuilding as a core component of national security and power projection in the Indian Ocean.
- Reducing technological dependence on China is a strategic priority.
- Where Fincantieri fits in:
- A long-standing industrial relationship with the Indian Navy.
- Cooperation with state-owned shipyards, technology transfer packages and high-value components.
- Localisation and transfer of technology (ToT) have become standard requirements for Indian defence programs.
- Claudio Cisilino, EVP Operations, Corporate Strategy and Innovation: India remains “an exciting end market” for Fincantieri.
Beyond India. The wider Far East remains strategically relevant.
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- Vietnam hosts Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Vung Tau, currently the group’s most established industrial footprint in the region.
- Corridor security: The second pillar of Fincantieri’s strategy is the protection of Euro-Asian connectivity corridors.
- These are no longer just trade routes, but integrated critical infrastructures, including:
- subsea cables
- data backbones
- ports
- logistics hubs
The context: The Red Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Adriatic are key strategic hotspots.
- Houthi attacks have highlighted the fragility of global supply chains.
- A single act of sabotage can disrupt entire industrial sectors.
The key corridor. The axis linking Northern Europe, the Adriatic, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, India and the Far East.
- A corridor that is both physical and digital.
- One that must be monitored, protected and made resilient.
A competitive edge. Fincantieri is investing in subsea infrastructure protection.
- This is an area where the group and Italy as a system are accelerating, including through initiatives such as the National Underwater Dimension Hub.
- Cisilino: “We have a strong capability in subsea protection, covering cables, gas pipelines, oil pipelines and ports.”
What we’re watching:
- Structured protection models already developed and presented internationally, including the case of Odesa.
- Solutions designed to be replicated in strategic hubs such as Trieste, Gulf ports and India.
The bottom line:
- India and corridor security are two sides of the same strategy.
- Strengthening global supply chains today requires not only building ships and infrastructure, but protecting the physical and digital flows that sustain economic and geopolitical competition.
