Fincantieri, one of the most important shipbuilding complexes in the world, and the Ministry of Defense of Qatar, through Barzan Holdings, a company wholly owned by the Ministry of Defense of Qatar and responsible for strengthening the military capabilities of the state armed forces, have signed in Doha, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership through the evaluation and studies of new technologies and capabilities, which could lead to the future acquisition of new units as early as 100.
The programs envisaged by the MoU include, among others, the design, construction and management of the naval base, the management of the entire naval fleet, the implementation of new technologies such as Digital Radar and Cyber Security as well as the supply of new state-of-the-art naval and submarine units.
The signing took place between the CEO of Fincantieri Giuseppe Bono and, for the Ministry of Defense of Qatar, the President of Barzan Holding, Nasser Al Naimi, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah and the leaders of the country's armed forces.
The agreement implements the strategic relationship between Fincantieri and the Qatar armed forces and is part of the company's business development strategy in the Middle East. In fact, in June 2016 the Group signed an important contract with the Ministry of Defense of Qatar, worth almost 4 billion euros, for the supply of seven surface vessels, currently under construction in the Group's Italian shipyards. The contract includes the construction of four corvettes over 100 meters in length, an amphibious vessel (LPD - Landing Platform Dock) and two patrol vessels (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel) and support services in Qatar for an additional 10 years after delivery of the unit.
