Italy-Oman, the sea as a bridge: first steps towards a strategic alliance – Importing seafood products from Oman: with a first meeting at SeafoodExpo Global in Barcelona, Italy and Oman open a channel of dialogue that could evolve into strategic opportunities for the seafood sector. At the moment, this is only an initial exchange of intentions, but the premises are promising for Italian buyers, companies and stakeholders.
SeafoodExpo Barcelona: open dialogue between Italy and Oman
During the 2025 edition of SeafoodExpo Global in Barcelona, an important moment of dialogue took place between institutional and business representatives from Italy and Oman, organised by Assoittica Italia. Moderated by Secretary General Giuseppe Palma, the meeting was attended by Undersecretary Sen. Patrizio La Pietra and the Director General of Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture, Francesco Saverio Abate, together with Said Al Naabi (Fisheries Development Oman) and Salim Abdullah Al Mamari (Oman Food Capital).
The meeting was preliminary and cognitive in nature, and the foundations were laid for a future collaboration that could open the door to the import of fish products from Oman.
A prospect of technical and commercial cooperation
Omani fish products, including tuna, cephalopods and crustaceans, are considered competitive in terms of quality and traceability. On the other hand, Italy can offer advanced expertise in processing, refrigerated logistics and certification systems.
The participants in the meeting hypothesised the creation of a bilateral technical table, with the involvement of institutions and the production world, to explore concrete and sustainable forms of collaboration.
The focus, for now, remains on defining shared objectives and analysing the feasibility of a possible import flow of seafood products from Oman to Italy, in a logic of complementarity and joint development.
First opportunities for the Italian production system
Although it is only a first step, this start of dialogue represents a clear signal: diversifying the sources of supply and opening up to new partners can strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the national seafood sector.
For Italian buyers, the hypothesis of accessing new markets could prove interesting, especially in terms of processed product lines destined for export, thanks to the combination of Omani raw material and Italian capacity for industrial valorisation.
The meeting between Italy and Oman at the SeafoodExpo in Barcelona has not yet produced operational agreements, but it marked the start of a path of exploration with potential spin-offs for the entire supply chain.
Italy-Oman, the sea as a bridge: first steps towards a strategic alliance
