Mubadala Investment Company, Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri sign MoU 

Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, while Mubadala is a sovereign investor, managing a global portfolio for the government of Abu Dhabi. (Supplied)
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Updated 17 December 2021
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Mubadala Investment Company, Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri sign MoU 

  • Mubadala and Fincantieri to potentially collaborate in advanced technologies and services in the naval, marine and industrial sectors
  • Through its subsidiary Sanad, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered group will also offer after-sales services for Fincantieri products

ROME: Mubadala Investment Company PJSC and Italy’s Fincantieri have signed a memorandum of understanding to begin potential collaboration in advanced technologies and services in the naval, marine and industrial sectors.

Mubadala is a sovereign investor, managing a global portfolio aimed at generating sustainable financial returns for the government of Abu Dhabi while Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups.

The agreement was signed by Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, head of UAE new initiatives at Mubadala, and Giuseppe Giordo, general manager of Fincantieri naval vessels division.

The two groups will work together to advance a number of innovation and industrial projects. Studies to identify other areas of collaboration, such as the development of integrated industrial services for waste transformation platforms for small and medium commercial and industrial facilities, will be carried out in line with the circular economy. 

Mubadala’s portfolio spans six continents with interests in multiple sectors and asset classes. It leverages its sectoral expertise and long-standing partnerships to drive sustainable growth and profit while supporting the continued diversification and global integration of the economy of the UAE. 

Through its subsidiary Sanad, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered group will also offer after-sales services for Fincantieri products as well as other original equipment manufacturer products.

“As a responsible long-term investor, and an active player in the global energy transition sector, Mubadala has long pioneered and championed a balanced energy mix through a holistic and diversified energy portfolio in the UAE and abroad,” Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi said of the agreement.

“Through this agreement, we are committed to advancing the role innovation in energy technologies can play to meet future energy demand with our partners at Fincantieri, and other technology developers, operating companies and like-minded organizations.”

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, believes that this is “a first step” to strengthen his company’s presence in the UAE.

“It is a demonstration of the great versatility of our group, which today is able to offer unique management skills and technologies in the naval, maritime and industrial sectors. Thanks to this agreement we will leverage our mutual know-how and investment capabilities to identify projects of common interest in the UAE and contribute to the development of the country’s advanced fields of technologies,” Bono said.


Saudi minister at Davos urges collaboration on minerals

Global collaboration on minerals essential to ease geopolitical tensions and secure supply, WEF hears. (Supplied)
Updated 1 min 38 sec ago
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Saudi minister at Davos urges collaboration on minerals

  • The reason of the tension of geopolitics is actually the criticality of the minerals

LONDON: Countries need to collaborate on mining and resources to help avoid geopolitical tensions, Saudi Arabia’s minister of industry and mineral resources told the World Economic Forum on Tuesday.

“The reason of the tension of geopolitics is actually the criticality of the minerals, the concentration in different areas of the world,” Bandar Alkhorayef told a panel discussion on the geopolitics of materials.

“The rational thing to do is to collaborate, and that’s what we are doing,” he added. “We are creating a platform of collaboration in Saudi Arabia.”

Bandar Alkhorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources 

The Kingdom last week hosted the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. Alkhorayef said the platform was launched by the government in 2022 as a contribution to the global community. “It’s very important to have a global movement, and that’s why we launched the Future Minerals Forum,” he said. “It is the most important platform of global mining leaders.”

The Kingdom has made mining one of the key pillars of its economy, rapidly expanding the sector under the Vision 2030 reform program with an eye on diversification. Saudi Arabia has an estimated $2.5 trillion in mineral wealth and the ramping up of extraction comes at a time of intense global competition for resources to drive technological development in areas like AI and renewables.

“We realized that unlocking the value that we have in our natural resources, of the different minerals that we have, will definitely help our economy to grow to diversify,” Alkhorayef said. The Kingdom has worked to reduce the timelines required to set up mines while also protecting local communities, he added. Obtaining mining permits in Saudi Arabia has been reduced to just 30 to 90 days compared to the many years required in other countries, Alkhorayef said.

“We learned very, very early that permitting is a bottleneck in the system,” he added. “We all know, and we have to be very, very frank about this, that mining doesn’t have a good reputation globally.

“We are trying to change this and cutting down the licensing process doesn’t only solve it. You need also to show the communities the impact of the mining on their lives.”

Saudi Arabia’s new mining investment laws have placed great emphasis on the development of society and local communities, along with protecting the environment and incorporating new technologies, Alkhorayef said. “We want to build the future mines; we don’t want to build old mines.”