Vespucci World Tour - panel on underwater dimension

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 27 - The strategic relevance and the potential growth and development of the underwater world as part of cooperation between Italy and Japan were at the centre of an international conference organized in Tokyo by the Italian Navy and by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, during the Japanese visit that is part of the global tour of the Amerigo Vespucci vessel and of Villaggio Italia.
    "Some 80% of the ocean floor is completely unknown and out of that 20% (which is known) only 2% is mapped", the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, told ANSA.
    "We have a huge source of wealth, both economic and strategic.
    "Just think that 90% of all our digital communications travel through the seabed", he went on to say, also stressing the "presence of specific metals, the so-called rare earths, which are fundamental for the Green transition.
    "Today, we rely on China completely to import these metals.
    "About 90% of these metals are imported.
    "But nearly all the metals we need are on our seabed", he noted.
    The conference's two panels were attended by leading experts in the sector, representatives of major companies and start-ups, academia and research centres.
    They included Carlo Festucci, secretary general of AIAD (the Federation of Italian Aerospace, Defence and Security Industries) and Andrea Toma, vice president of shipbuilder Fincantieri's Defence Institutional Affairs.
    A large and qualified public participated with diplomats, university professors, entrepreneurs and Navy representatives from several countries.
    "The Italian Navy has always undertaken a key role in the underwater dimension both from a technological and research standpoint and in particular for the control and defence of these infrastructures.
    "We have an operation which is called dark seabed which allows us the control, I would say on a daily basis, of all pipelines and wires carrying our energy and our digital communication", said the admiral.
    The seminar called 'The underwater dimension: how to increase awareness and its sustainable use' provided an opportunity to start an international debate through different perspectives such as the ones regarding environmental security, technology and governance. (ANSA).