ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The Italian underwater economy invoices 3.5 billion euros: this is the main value estimated by the 1st National Report on the Italian Diving Size, which for the first time offers an organic photograph of a strategic productive ecosystem for our country. The report, created by the National Observatory on the Economy of the Sea-OsserMare of Informare, Special Company of the Chamber of Commerce Frosinone Latina with the scientific contribution of the Study Centre of Chambers of Commerce G. Tagliacarne, in collaboration with the PNS – National Park of the Diving Size, Unioncamere and Assonautica, was presented in an initiative promoted by the President of the Parliamentary group for the Economy of the Sea.
The event, included in the Blue Forum 2026, follows the presentation of the XIV National Report on the Economy of the Sea, which took place at Palazzo Piacentini in Rome on 8 July last in the presence of the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso.
The path that has led to the realization of the document that represents the first identification of the economic consistencies of the Italian underwater economy, is read in a note, “born from the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2025 between Unioncamere, Assonautica Italiana and the National Park of the Diving Size, which has laid the foundations for the constitution of the National Observatory Underwater”, with the aim of “to equip the Country with a permanent instrument of analysis, industrial monitoring and strategic knowledge of Italy.
Starting from an audience of about 1,700 enterprises potentially attributable to the underwater dimension, identified through a first reclassification of the products and a massive research supported by artificial intelligence tools, the work of automatic and manual verification has allowed to mention 189 Italian companies actually operating in the Underwater Economy.
The 189 census enterprises totalled 63.458 employees, equal to 0.34% of national employment, generate 30,5 billion euros of turnover, equal to 0.72% of the national total and produce 7,3 billion euros of added value, equivalent to 0.68% of the Italian economy. In particular, the value of products and systems that can be traced back to the underwater dimension has risen in less than ten years from 1.1 billion euros to 3.5 billion, with an increase of 216%.
The analysis, reads again, “is based on a reflection of the main areas of activity and underwater technologies and has currently affected the following development axes: Defence and safety (underwater surveillance, warfare and countermeasures, cable protection and strategic pipelines, autonomous and semi-autonomous means), offshore energy (installation, monitoring and maintenance of oil and gas platforms, offshore wind farms), telecommunications and critical infrastructure (sea, maintenance and monitoring of submarine cables), scientific and environmental research (ocelets, climate monitoring, seabed, rare sea map.
The Report also highlights “the growing role of strategic technologies and innovation”. The census companies hold a total of 12,659 patents, of which 2,840 are attributable to STEP technologies, between Deep Tech and Net-Zero Technologies, with Lombardy and Lazio concentrating more than 91% of the entire strategic patent heritage. On the level of human capital, census enterprises employ 25,403 graduates, equal to 40% of total employees, an almost double share compared to the national manufacturing average.
President of Assonautica Italiana Giovanni Acampora, the President of Unioncamere Andrea Prete, the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy and Chairman of the Italian Navy The Report was presented by: Antonello Testa, President of Informare and Coordinator OsserMare – National Observatory on the Economy of the Sea, Contr. Giulio Cappelletti, Director of Operational Structure National Park of the Diving Size, Gaetano Fausto Esposito, Centro Studi Tagliacarne e Paolo Cortese, Centro Studi Tagliacarne. Present are representatives of the world of industry, research and the University operating in the sector.
LA RUSSA “DIMENSIONE SUBACQUEA STRATEGICA PER GLI INTERESSI NAZIONALI”
“A wealth of infrastructure, resources, knowledge and technologies is under the sea surface, which plays an increasingly important role in the protection of national interests and the growth of the sea economy.” The President of the Senate, Ignatius Russian, said this in the message sent to the presentation of the 1st National Report on the Italian underwater dimension, in progress in the Chapter Hall of the Senate in Rome, having not been able to participate in the initiative. “The evolution of the geopolitical scenario, the increasing importance of underwater infrastructure, technological innovation and the need to preserve marine ecosystems make it indispensable an integrated vision of the underwater dimension – explains Russian – it is important to define development policies, promote cooperation between public and private, attract investments, increase economic and productive perimeter and strengthen an effective governance of the sector, thus strengthening the role of Italy in the Mediterranean and in the global scenario.”.
CROSETTO “L’AMBIENTE SOTTOMARINO E’ SEMPRE PIU’ STRATEGICO”
“The underwater environment is today an area of increasing strategic importance, offering significant development opportunities in the economic, technological, energy and scientific sectors. This is a context full of potential, but also characterized by increasingly complex challenges, which require an integrated approach between institutions, scientific communities, universities and productive system.” This is said by the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, in the message sent to the presentation of the 1st National Report on the Italian underwater dimension, in progress to the Capitolar Hall of the Senate in Rome, having not been able to participate in the presence. “It is precisely from the awareness of the strategic value of this domain that the national pole of the underwater dimension is born, with the aim to set up national excellences and promote the development of technologies and skills in an area destined to assume an increasing importance,” continues Crosetto. Finally, the minister points out that in the same direction it is placed “the institution of the Agency for the Safety of Underwater Activities, initiatives that confirm the credibility and commitment of our Country in a central sector also in the light of the increasing hybrid threats and the need to protect essential infrastructures for national security”.
-Photo xc7/Italpress-
(ITALPRESS).
