With its coastline of 7,800 km, Italy is expediently nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea with the surrounding waters creating a tremendous resource for Italian economy. Businesses linked to the sea, including ocean technology firms, contribute significantly to Italy’s gross domestic product totaling more than $40 billion and representing 2.6% of total GDP. The Italian shipyard industry ranks among the top 20 in the world with ship building and boat-building accounting for 64% of the industry turnover, totaling 6.3 billion Euro in 2012, and Technological Equipment placed at 2.2 billion Euro. Italy is also a world leader in yacht production with more than 49% of the market share.