Eni and Fincantieri’s subsidiary IDS – Ingegneria dei Sistemi have signed a strategic agreement to commercialise and further develop Clean Sea, Eni’s proprietary underwater robotic technology designed for monitoring marine ecosystems and inspecting subsea infrastructure.

Under the deal, IDS receives an exclusive worldwide license to industrialise and market the technology, expanding its use in offshore inspection activities and supporting energy-transition projects, particularly Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) developments in marine environments.

IDS will deploy the system both for Eni’s operational needs and for third-party customers.

Clean Sea combines the capabilities of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), enabling it to operate either under remote control from a support vessel or autonomously.

The platform features interchangeable modular payloads, known as e-pods, equipped with specialised sensors and instruments for tasks such as water sampling, visual inspections and 3D acoustic mapping.

 These capabilities allow advanced data collection and analysis in challenging offshore conditions.

The technology will also be integrated with autonomous platforms and unmanned systems developed by the Fincantieri Group, broadening its applications and supporting larger-scale deployment across the offshore sector.

The companies said the partnership could extend to the joint development of next-generation underwater technologies and complementary solutions, helping strengthen Italy’s expertise in robotics and subsea systems.

For Eni, the agreement aligns with its strategy of accelerating the market deployment of proprietary technologies through partnerships and licensing arrangements.

For Fincantieri, the deal reinforces its position in the underwater technology sector and supports the growth of its Underwater Technology Hub, which focuses on technologies for monitoring, protecting and securing critical subsea infrastructure.

The agreement highlights both companies’ commitment to advancing innovative solutions for marine monitoring, offshore sustainability and infrastructure security.

Lorenzo Fiorillo, Director Technology, R&D & Digital of Eni, commented: "The agreement with Fincantieri confirms the value of Eni’s innovation activities and the relevance of the resulting products, particularly in a field where we have achieved excellence such as industrial robotics. Our proprietary Clean Sea technology, operational since 2016 and continuously enhanced over time, has earned recognition from a leading and forward-looking operator in the sector, which will enable us to further raise its operational performance standards."

“This agreement further strengthens Fincantieri Group’s capabilities in the underwater domain and consolidates IDS’s role in the development and integration of advanced solutions for underwater monitoring and inspection,” stated Matteo Marchiori, CEO of IDS. “The combination of IDS’s expertise in unmanned systems, command-and-control technologies and advanced sensing solutions with Eni’s innovation embodied in the Clean Sea technology will accelerate its industrialisation and deployment across international markets, expanding its applications in environmental monitoring, the protection of critical offshore infrastructure, and support for emerging energy transition scenarios.” -OGN/TradeArabia News Service