All oceans lead to Rome
Italy, a peninsular nation with 8,000 km of coastline, owes much of its prosperity and security to the sea. Long before unification, maritime republics such as Genoa and Venice had built their wealth not only within the Mediterranean basin, but above all through trade with distant countries.
Today, 80% of Italy’s 60 million people live within 150 km of the coast. The sea means connectivity: as the world’s eighth-largest economy and sixth-largest exporter, Italy depends on open maritime routes – 90% of its goods move by sea. A stable maritime domain underpins key sectors like manufacturing, energy, shipbuilding, tourism and telecommunications. The so-called Blue Economy contributes around 3% of GDP.
Italy leads Europe in cruise traffic and ranks third in maritime imports and exports. Energy security is tied to sea routes, with undersea pipelines and the national merchant fleet providing critical lifelines. Submarine cables are essential to the functioning of today’s digital society. The Mediterranean, linking the Far East to Europe and the US via Suez, Sicily, and Marseille, is a strategic chokepoint. Recent incidents in the Baltic Sea highlight the risk of sabotage to this fragile system—and the urgency of safeguarding it.
Given these stakes, Italy has long invested in credible and advanced maritime capabilities. Shipbuilding giant Fincantieri places Italy at the forefront of high-tech naval construction—from cruise liners and military ships to offshore platforms and mega-yachts. It is a global player across the shipbuilding value chain, including repairs, systems, components, and after-sales services.
Italy also boasts the fifth-largest fleet by shipowner control, and the fourth-largest in the EU when accounting for ownership nationality. Italian shipping holds leading positions in Ro-Ro vessels, cruise liners, and specialized tankers for chemicals and petroleum products.
On the military front, Italy has consistently invested in its naval forces. Today, it belongs to an elite group of countries able to project naval power—aircraft carriers, amphibious assets—across the NATO area and beyond.
Italy is the only EU country capable of deploying a Carrier Strike Group with fifth-generation aircraft. Alongside the US and UK, it forms the core of NATO’s carrier-enabled capability. In 2024, around 30 naval units—half the frontline fleet—were deployed daily, from the Atlantic to the Arctic, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Pacific, Gulf of Guinea, and the Mediterranean.
Though the Mediterranean makes up just 1% of the world’s water surface, it handles 20% of global maritime traffic—30% for oil—and 65% of energy flows. It is also the world’s top tourist destination, with 400 million annual visitors.
A historic hub of culture, commerce, and conflict, the Mediterranean continues to shape Italy’s identity. Italy’s central position makes it the strategic pivot between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Straddling the chokepoints of Gibraltar and Suez, Italian ports serve trade routes linking the Atlantic, Middle East, Africa, and Europe’s industrial heartland—where 36% of EU internal trade moves by sea.
Strategically, the Italian Navy operates under the concept of the Wider Mediterranean, encompassing the Sea’s approach routes from both East and West. This vast area extends eastward to the Black Sea and—via Suez—to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Bab al-Mandab, and Indian Ocean; and westward—through Gibraltar—to the Gulf of Guinea. It reflects the growing strategic interconnection of once-distant regions and the complex dynamics that now shape them.
In this globalized maritime arena, Italy actively supports the EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing multilateralism, rule of law, and a rules-based international order. Rome has secured partnerships with key regional organizations: Dialogue Partner of IORA since 2019, Development Partner with ASEAN since 2020, and Dialogue Partner of the Pacific Islands Forum since 2007.
Among Indo-Pacific ties, the relationship between Italy and the Philippines is gaining real momentum. Both are maritime nations committed to international law, and both are concerned by growing territorialization and creeping urbanization of the high seas—a trend that restricts free navigation, undermines equitable access to marine resources, and fuels disputes over sovereignty.
?Italy regularly voices its positions within the EU, G7 and UN. With the forthcoming finalization of the bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement, Italy and the Philippines will further deepen and consolidate their collaboration in this sector. Italian naval vessels—frigates and carriers—have made frequent port calls in Manila over the past three years, reinforcing strategic visibility and presence in the region.
In the commercial sector, Italy employs around 15,000 Filipino seafarers aboard Italian-owned vessels—cargo ships, cruise liners, ferries, and Ro-Ro units. There’s active collaboration on safety, regulation, and training. Through the EU, Italy is contributing to maritime capacity building in the Philippines via the “Seafarers Technical Assistance” initiative, launched in 2024 as part of the EU-ASEAN sustainable connectivity package.
? Italy’s bond with the oceans is deep and enduring. Its future prosperity and security depend on a global maritime network that is free and open, stable, and resilient. Italy is determined to contribute to global ocean governance—to ensure maritime spaces are used sustainably, equitably, and peacefully. Its experience navigating overlapping jurisdictions in the Mediterranean provides valuable insight as new flashpoints emerge in the Indo-Pacific.
Seemingly distant regions—Mediterranean, Atlantic, Indo-Pacific—are now closely interlinked. This convergence brings complexity, but also opportunities. Italy presents itself as a reliable, rules-based partner and a bridge-builder in an increasingly contested maritime domain.
In this evolving strategic seascape, one might adapt the old Roman saying about consular roads: today, all oceans lead to Rome. Italy is not resting on its laurels. It is stepping up—to shape the future of maritime cooperation, reinforce security and support the credibility and reach of the European Union’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
H.E. Davide Giglio is the ambassador of Italy to the Philippines.
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