On 24 January, the shipbuilding company Fincantieri shake hands with Barzan Holding and inked an MoU in order to boost their strategic partnership. In fact, both sides through evaluation and studies of new technologies and capabilities, aim to lead to a future acquisition of new vessels in the defense field.
With Barzan Holding being responsible for empowering the military capabilities of the Qatari Armed Forces, the inked agreement will further focus on the design, establishment and management of the naval base and the whole warship fleet management.
Through the agreement, collaborators will pay attention to the application of innovative technologies, for instance digital radar and cyber security.
The understanding improves the strategic relationship between Fincantieri and Qatari Armed Forces and falls within Fincantieri’s business development strategy in the Middle East.
Moreover, the ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah and high rank Officers of the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, while the signing was between the CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, and the President of Barzan Holding, Nasser Al Naimi, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence of Qatar.
For the records, Fincantieri made an almost 4 billion euros deal with the Qatari Ministry of Defence back in June 2016, in order to establish seven surface vessels, which are currently under construction in the company’s Italian shipyard.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
Specifically, the contract also involved the construction of four corvettes of over 100 meters in length, one amphibious vessel and two patrol vessels, as well as support services in Qatar for an additional 10 years after delivery.
As part of enhancing its position in the Middle East, Fincantieri established “Fincantieri Services ” located in Doha, which will play a major role for all the services and after sales activities on the naval vessels built by the Group for Qatar.