Diving into Innovation: EDGE Group and Fincantieri Unite for Underwater Solutions Development
Abu Dhabi, UAE / Trieste, Italy/ Paris, France: 5 November 2024 – EDGE, a prominent global entity in advanced technology and defense, alongside Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilding firms worldwide, has today formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), facilitating new avenues for strategic partnership in the burgeoning underwater sector. This MoU will enable both organizations to cooperate on the design, development, and implementation of sophisticated manned and unmanned underwater systems capabilities in the United Arab Emirates via their newly established, Abu Dhabi-based shipbuilding collaboration, MAESTRAL. This initial accord will lay the foundation and enhance the development of advanced solutions tailored to the specific underwater requirements of navies globally.
This collaboration signifies EDGE Group’s inaugural entry into the underwater arena, allowing both entities to exchange knowledge and utilize extensive technical and production resources to craft a variety of innovative, interoperable manned and unmanned solutions – further enhancing the UAE’s independent capabilities in cutting-edge defence technologies, benefitting both the UAE and other navies internationally.
The MoU was executed by Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director & CEO, EDGE Group, Dr. Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO & Managing Director, Fincantieri Group, with the presence of Khaled Al Zaabi, President – Platforms & Systems, EDGE, Dario Deste, General Manager of the Fincantieri Naval Vessels Division, along with other representatives from the Naval Vessels Division, during EURONAVAL, which is the foremost naval defense exhibition currently taking place in Paris.
Pierroberto Folgiero, Fincantieri CEO and Managing Director, remarked: “This agreement between Fincantieri and EDGE highlights a dedication to pioneering advancements in underwater technologies, merging engineering excellence with a visionary approach. The underwater environment presents distinctive challenges, from fluid dynamics to communication and autonomy, necessitating innovative and robust solutions. Together, we aspire to develop systems that comply with the highest standards of interoperability, addressing essential needs within both the defense and energy sectors. Our endeavors aim to establish new benchmarks in safety, resilience, and environmental accountability in underwater operations, contributing significantly to both national capabilities and global maritime security.”
Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director & CEO, EDGE, stated: “In a mere five years, EDGE has ambitiously broadened its influence across all domains of advanced technology and defense. From the beginning, we understood that only through cooperation and collaboration could we devise the technologies and expertise required for EDGE to excel in the air, land, sea, cyber, and space realms. Our ongoing alliance with Fincantieri exemplifies this strategy, unveiling boundless opportunities for both companies in the joint design and production of advanced surface and underwater naval solutions.”
