In mid-December 2025, Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri released its “2026-2030 Business Plan.” In mid-December 2025, Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri released its “2026-2030 Business Plan.” During the planning period, the shipbuilding group aims to secure new orders exceeding €50 billion, with all financial indicators projected to grow compared to 2025 forecasts. Concurrently, it will advance a sustainable development strategy centered on technological innovation, inclusive growth and health and safety.
Against the backdrop of the 2026–2030 Business Plan, Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri, recently convened a special meeting in Rome with the Secretaries-General and Union Coordinators of Italy’s shipbuilding trade unions—Federazione Italiana Metalmeccanici (FIM), Federazione Italiana Operai Metallurgici (FIOM) and Unione Italiana Lavoratori Marittimi (UILM). The parties exchanged views on the shipbuilding group’s development blueprint for the next five years.
During the talks, the Italian shipbuilding industry union presented two core demands to Fincantieri: increase investment in shipyards and launch a new recruitment cycle.
According to information disclosed by Fincantieri to the Italian shipbuilding industry union, the company’s five-year plan projects expansion across all business segments: comprehensive growth in commercial vessels, cruise ships, defense, and subsea engineering, alongside continued strengthening of offshore operations—encompassing specialized vessels, oil and gas engineering, offshore wind power, cable-laying vessels and icebreakers.
Taking the cruise/defense sector as an example, Fincantieri maintains its leading position, currently holding 34 cruise ship orders with production scheduled until 2036. In the defense sector, Fincantieri plans to double the capacity of its Italian shipyards. This will allow the Castellammare di Stabia shipyard to take on more naval vessel orders, addressing the capacity pressure at its integrated Muggiano and Riva Trigoso shipbuilding bases. Simultaneously, Fincantieri is studying organizational restructuring to increase capacity at its Muggiano shipbuilding base and has confirmed an investment in a new dry dock.
During discussions regarding Fincantieri’s five-year development plan, FIOM explicitly stated that Fincantieri must prioritize the following key areas: further enhancing the production capacity of domestic shipyards, including investing in new shipyard construction, and advancing long-delayed infrastructure projects—particularly the construction of the dry dock in Castellammare di Stabia. The union called on all relevant parties, including the Port Authority, to jointly advance these initiatives.
The union’s demands also include: following the successful model of the Palermo shipyard to restart ferry construction operations at Italian domestic shipyards; developing strategies to meet the growing demand for specialized offshore vessels and cable-laying ships; FIOM specifically emphasized that capacity expansion in the defense sector must not come at the expense of the cruise ship business, as the cruise segment’s shipbuilding capacity remains central to the group’s overall shipbuilding capacity.
Furthermore, optimizing production and organizational models was also a key topic of discussion between the Italian shipbuilding industry unions and Fincantieri. The unions demanded that Fincantieri fully implement the recently signed outsourcing agreements, improve the working conditions and salaries of outsourced employees, and eliminate any remaining exploitation. The three unions emphasized the need for deep involvement from company employee councils, which would help manage contract changes, ensure employment continuity, and address issues such as housing and citizenship.