Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has agreed to acquire majority stakes in four companies for an initial expenditure of about $687 million (€600 million), expanding its capabilities in marine drones, subsea services and underwater communications across commercial and defense markets.
The agreements cover acquisitions of majority stakes in Next Geosolutions, WSense, Graal Tech, and Defcomm, which will be integrated into Fincantieri’s Underwater technological hub.
Next Geosolutions, listed on Euronext Growth Milan, provides marine survey and geoscience services as well as offshore construction support services.
WSense specializes in underwater communications and the Internet of Underwater Things, while Graal Tech and Defcomm specialize in autonomous underwater vehicles and autonomous surface vehicles, respectively.
The transactions follow Fincantieri’s acquisition and integration of WASS in 2025 and Remazel in 2024. The expanded underwater platform will comprise eight companies and about 1,500 professionals across Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and the UAE.
Fincantieri said the platform will combine capabilities spanning hardware, software and telecommunications, underwater platforms and services, with applications across conventional and unconventional underwater activities.
The expanded capabilities are intended to serve both defense and commercial markets, including critical subsea infrastructure protection, maritime security and offshore services.
“The acquisitions announced today mark a historic transformation for Fincantieri, that creates an international champion in the Underwater domain, enabled by full integration across the value chain of technologies, capabilities and operational expertise.
“These acquisitions also allow us to accelerate the execution of our Business Plan, significantly strengthening profitability while expanding our presence in a fast-growing market where the dual-use component is expected to become increasingly important.
“We are also securing the industrial continuity of the acquired companies by retaining their existing management teams, as we believe that expertise and execution are essential drivers of the Group's growth,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Fincantieri.