Italian shipyard giant Fincantieri and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) have signed a deal to explore further cooperation in the sector.
The two sides already have a joint venture building the first cruiseships in China for the local market, as well as research and development projects in passengerships and offshore shipping.
The ceremony took place in Beijing in the presence of the Italian economy minister Giovanni Tria; the CEO of state lender and Fincantieri owner Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Fabrizio Palermo; Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono; and CSSC chairman Lei Fanpei.
"The parties may consider additional cooperation opportunities and may therefore extend the scope of the agreement to other areas," they said.
The first step will be to set up a joint working group of six people to define potential opportunities by the end of this year.
Aiming to be a "first mover"
In February 2017, Fincantieri, CSSC and US cruise player Carnival Corporation signed a binding agreement for the construction of two cruiseships worth $1.5bn, with an option for additional four, at CSSC's Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) shipyard.
The group also signed a letter of intent with CSSC and the Shanghai City’s district of Baoshan for the development of the supply chain mainly dedicated to cruise activities, as well as shipbuilding and maritime, and a comprehensive agreement in the field of shiprepair and conversions with Huarun Dadong Dockyard (HRDD).
Bono said: “This agreement is a further recognition of our decision to access the great potential represented by China.
"Acting as a first mover for the shipbuilding, today we are able to create new opportunities for small and medium-sized companies of our supply chain, through the successful consolidation of the relations with the major groups of the country in this sector, and, at the same time, to continue to do the same in the west, taking advantage of the cruise segment boom and maintaining the acquired leaderships."
