Trade Mission to Italy: Building bridges between two strong maritime nations

The visit brought together seven Norwegian maritime companies and leading Italian shipyards, clusters, and port operators to explore how two world-leading maritime nations can work together for a greener, smarter, and more competitive future.

Complementary Strengths – Shared Ambitions

Italy is home to some of the world’s most advanced cruise shipbuilders and yacht manufacturers, known for design excellence, craftsmanship, and industrial scale. Together with Norwegian maritime companies’ technological expertise and integrated supplier networks, these strengths create an exciting foundation for collaboration on some of the world’s most advanced vessels.

Over the course of three days, the delegation met with several of Italy’s most influential maritime players — gaining valuable insights into how innovation and tradition are combined along the Italian coast.

Benetti Yachts – Livorno Part of the Azimut|Benetti Group, Benetti is a global leader in luxury yacht construction, building vessels up to 110 meters. Known for Italian elegance and advanced engineering, Benetti’s close collaboration with the Lürssen Group highlights the strong industrial capability and continuous innovation in the Italian yacht sector.

Port of Livorno As one of Italy’s largest and most diversified ports – and among the busiest Ro-Ro hubs in the country – Port of Livorno plays a key role in Italian logistics and ship repair. The port is undergoing a major modernization, with a strong focus on sustainability, port electrification, and digital traffic management.

Port of Genoa Italy’s busiest port and one of the Mediterranean’s most important gateways for trade, logistics, and shipbuilding. The port authority is investing heavily in infrastructure renewal, green corridors, and energy-efficient port operations as part of the national Green Port Strategy.

Mariotti Shipyard – Genoa Specialized in high-end cruise and expedition vessels, Mariotti combines Italian craftsmanship with advanced engineering. The shipyard is currently building several vessels designed by Norwegian companies in the GCE Blue Maritime Cluster, including the new Italian research vessel designed by Skipsteknisk.

Amico & Co – Genoa Among Europe’s leading superyacht refit and repair yards, Amico & Co handles projects up to 140 meters. The company stands out for its technical excellence and strong commitment to sustainability and energy management.

Norwegian Perspectives at Genoa Shipping Week

During Genoa Shipping Week, the delegation also participated in the Port & Shipping Tech Conference, where Knut Tore Aurdal, Head of Projects and Innovation at the GCE Blue Maritime Cluster, presented the status of the Green Maritime Transition in Norway. His presentation highlighted how digitalization, energy efficiency, and hybrid propulsion are transforming the Norwegian fleet — and how these developments can inspire stronger industrial cooperation between Norwegian suppliers and Italian shipyards. 

We clearly see that Norwegian and Italian maritime industries have very complementary strengths. Norway leads in green technologies and systems integration, while Italy has unique industrial capabilities and design excellence. Bringing these together can create real opportunities for innovation and joint value creation

 Knut Tore Aurdal, Head of Projects and Innovation at GCE Blue Maritime Cluster.

 A Strong Basis for Cooperation

The trade mission clearly showed that Italy and Norway share complementary strengths and the same ambition for a sustainable maritime future. By combining Norwegian technology and systems integration with Italian design, craftsmanship, and industrial capacity, both nations can accelerate innovation and strengthen competitiveness across cruise, yacht, and advanced vessel segments.