For nearly forty years, the establishment of Exclusive Economic Zones has acted as a brake on the drive to territorialize the sea, a push led by nations born from the dissolution of colonial empires and by so-called “revisionist” powers. This mechanism appears to be effective only among “friendly” nations, and maybe not even then. Yet, it remains the only tool capable of halting the free-for-all struggle taking place above and below the waves and on the seabed. The race to extract resources from undersea deposits, the harnessing of new surface-based energy sources and the complex network of cables and pipelines on the ocean floor make the development, management and protection of these assets not only vital for nations, but also a powerful driver of growth for port operations, shipbuilding, and related services, an opportunity that cannot be left on the table by Italy.

Main topics:

• EEZs in the Mediterranean and the undefined nature of the Italian EEZ
• Subsea field development projects
• Deep-sea mining: the UN deadlock and the Chinese variable
• The pipes that fuel the economy
• Subsea power cables: the next round
• Data cables
• Shipbuilding and services for marine resources