Industrial production: boatbuilding and shipbuilding among Italy’s strongest-performing sectors

Recreational and sporting boatbuilding ranks fourth in the analysis compiled by the CIPNES Gallura Research Centre using ISTAT data for January–August 2026. Shipbuilding ranks sixth, while ship and boat repair and maintenance places eleventh. Three activities within the supply chain therefore feature among the top eleven.

The results are:

• 4th – Building of pleasure and sporting boats: average index 135.1.
• 6th – Building of ships and floating structures: average index 133.0.
• 11th – Repair and maintenance of ships and boats: average index 122.0.

Average indices for January–August 2026, reference base 2021=100. Source: CIPNES Gallura Research Centre calculations based on ISTAT data.

Understanding the indices

The ISTAT indicator tracks changes in production volume against the average level recorded in 2021, set at 100. The ranking therefore compares activities against their respective reference levels. It does not measure their absolute economic size or rank them by turnover.

Likewise, an index of 135.1 does not mean production grew by 35.1% compared with 2025. Annual growth requires comparison with the corresponding period of the previous year. Unadjusted indices also reflect seasonal and calendar effects; assessing short-term trends requires appropriately adjusted series.

The wider Italian industrial picture

These results come against a weaker national backdrop. In its August industrial production release, published on 9 October 2026, ISTAT reported a seasonally adjusted decline of 1.3% compared with July and 1.1% over June–August compared with the preceding three months. After calendar adjustment, August production was unchanged year on year.

Transport equipment manufacturing, meanwhile, recorded 8.2% growth over the first eight months compared with 2025. This figure covers the entire aggregate, including automotive, aerospace and rail manufacturing, and should not be attributed solely to the nautical industry.

Implications for Sardinia’s nautical supply chain

The findings are directly relevant to Gallura. The CIPNES industrial district in Olbia hosts approximately 90 nautical businesses, while UniOlbia supports university programmes in Naval Engineering and Electrical and Aeronautical Industrial Technologies.

Monitoring these industries provides useful evidence for connecting investment, manufacturing specialisations and education locally. Boatbuilding, maintenance and technical services offer complementary opportunities to strengthen Sardinia’s supply chain and develop its links with international markets.