Fincantieri to buy four underwater technology companies in €600M deal

July 6, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has reached agreements to acquire majority stakes in four underwater technology companies in a deal worth approximately €600 million, expanding its capabilities in marine drones, underwater communications, geoscience services, and dual-use defense and commercial operations.

As disclosed, the agreement covers the acquisition of Next Geosolutions, WSense, Graal Tech and Defcomm. The four transactions are expected to strengthen Fincantieri’s position in the underwater sector, which is becoming increasingly important for security, energy and critical infrastructure.

The four companies will be integrated into Fincantieri’s Underwater technological hub, which will coordinate product and commercial synergies, also thanks to the development of solutions for the unconventional underwater domain. It will act as an international underwater operator, comprising eight companies

Within this framework, Fincantieri is strengthening an industrial model that combines technological development with operational capabilities, evolving into an operator increasingly focused on services and integrated end-to-end solutions.

The integrated technologies and capabilities will enable a synergistic response to the needs of both defense and commercial markets, in line with the sector evolution towards increasingly integrated and interconnected models, spanning from the protection of critical subsea infrastructure to maritime security and offshore services.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Fincantieri, said the acquisitions represent a historic transformation for Fincantieri, creating an international player in the underwater sector through the integration of technologies, capabilities and operational expertise across the value chain. He added that the deals would accelerate the execution of the company’s business plan.

About the companies

Next Geosolutions Europe, was established in 2014 as a joint initiative between a group of Italian entrepreneurs and the shipping company Marnavi. The company operates in the offshore renewable energy, offshore oil & gas and subsea cable sectors.

NextGeo’s solutions cover the entire subsea project lifecycle, spanning from marine survey and geoscience to offshore construction and installation, inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), and ultimately decommissioning.

WSense is a deep-tech scale-up established as a spin-off of La Sapienza University of Rome. The company specializes in underwater monitoring and communication systems, including both hardware and software, supporting the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT). WSense’s adaptive wireless underwater modems enable secure distributed networks, allowing real-time data transmission between underwater devices even in complex marine environments, with cost-efficient scalability across large areas.

WSense and Fincantieri already collaborate under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2023, jointly participating in numerous national and international tenders, integrating WSense’s technologies into Fincantieri’s DEEP demonstrator, and carrying out a range of infrastructure monitoring projects.

Fincantieri and WSense join forces on underwater communications

Equipment & technology

Defcomm is an Italian start-up active in the design and construction of unmanned surface vehicles with advanced autonomous navigation capabilities, already tested in various operational environments.

Fincantieri, Defcomm link up on autonomous naval units and surface drones

UUV/UAV

The units are designed to ensure high speeds and extended endurance. Autonomous navigation is enabled by proprietary software, and the units are equipped with modern radio and satellite communication systems, a key feature for unmanned surface platforms.

Graal Tech is a scale-up established as a spin-off of the University of Genoa, specializing in the design and development of modular and customizable underwater robotic technologies (AUV/ROV), as well as in the development of small and medium-sized unmanned vehicles and their related physical and digital ancillary systems.

Graal Tech’s products, already integrated into DEEP, Fincantieri’s solution for critical infrastructure protection, are used both in commercial offshore applications and in dual-use and defense contexts.