Promise of marriage between Fincantieri and Naval Group, without stock exchange. Launch of the 4 frigate project for France on the "Nave Vulcano" project by Fincantieri

Faced with Chinese competition, in shipbuilding, we need to team up. This was the common reason that he approached two giants of the sea. The Italian Fincantieri and the French Naval Group.

About a year ago Emmanuel Macron and Paolo Gentiloni signed an agreement that provided for an Airbus of the seas with the consequent control, by the Italian public giant, of the shipyards of SaintNa2aire, specialized in the construction of cruise ships.

Naval Group and Fincantieri to finalize the agreement should have joined and formed a joint venture with an exchange of shares, between 5 and 10% of the capital.

However, problems were on the horizon as Naval Group is 35% owned by Thales and the rest by the French government. Thales, as is well known, is Leonardo's number one competitor and did not look favorably on the recent joint venture between Fincantieri and Leonardo for “Orizzonti sistemi navali”, Leonardo's subsidiary that produces naval combat systems. This joint venture has sent a clear signal to the French, namely that Fincantieri will not leave Leonardo out of the partnership, which with Orizzonti systems naval is fully positioned in the new international industrial reality. Probably a prelude to a future common industry for European defense.

However at the Euronaval, the most impressive boat show in the world, which is being held in these days in Bourget, near Paris, the managing directors of Fincatieri and Naval Group, Giuseppe Bono and Hervé Guillou, have started their collaboration with a joint venture. venture for the production of four ships for the French navy. Logistic and refueling support units, deriving from a Fincantieri project, “Nave Vulcano”. In this regard, the French Minister of Defense Florence Parly informed the press that "thanks to the collaboration with the Italians, we will save six months and 40 million for each ship".

Subsequently, together with the Minister of Defense Elisabetta Trenta, they endorsed the signing for the launch of a joint venture between Fincantieri and Naval Group, which will be active in certain sectors, such as research, the use of common suppliers and the possibility of presenting themselves together on some foreign markets. There has not yet been talk of stock trading. Strong would be the resistance of President Macron to forge an alliance with a Matteo Salvini government.

Sources close to Naval Group, reports La Stampa, have admitted that "the political problem is the crucial problem that needs to be dealt with at the moment, however the Governments pass, the companies remain".

Sources close to Leonardo underline, however, that “Orizzonti Sistemi Navali is an added value for the project that tends to consolidate the Italian component. With Thales there must be no competition: with the alliance there will be more work for everyone, the real enemies are elsewhere ”the reference is clearly aimed at the Chinese.

Promise of marriage between Fincantieri and Naval Group, without stock exchange. Launch of the 4 frigate project for France on the "Nave Vulcano" project by Fincantieri