The Zona Franca de Cádiz has strengthened its support for the Cadiz naval sector through its participation in Navalia 2026, the main industry fair in Spain. The event, which brought together over 600 international exhibitors, served as a platform to showcase the Blue Economy projects promoted by the entity in the province.

Leading the Cadiz delegation, the State delegate, Fran González, along with the financial and Blue Economy director, José Manuel Fedriani, and the director of Business Promotion and Foreign Trade, Marta Domínguez, held key meetings with companies and institutions from the maritime and naval sector. The entity's stand highlighted projects such as Blue Core-Incubazul and associated startups, as well as the presence of local companies like Elecam, Quest Global, Cayco, Surcontrol, and Frizonia, alongside entities such as the Clúster Marítimo Naval de Cádiz, the Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz, and Navantia.

Navalia, recognized as one of the top three naval fairs in Europe, gathers companies specializing in shipbuilding, auxiliary industry, maritime technology, and port services. The Cadiz presence underscored the sector's importance in the province and its robust network of auxiliary companies.

A recent study by the University of Cádiz and the Zona Franca positions the naval industry as a fundamental pillar of the provincial Gross Domestic Product, exceeding its weight at the Andalusian level. This leadership is attributed to the driving role of Navantia and the network of specialized SMEs operating in its environment.

The Cadiz delegation's contact agenda included strategic meetings, such as the one organized by the Spanish Maritime Cluster with maritime sector companies from Colombia, in collaboration with Procolombia. The Zona Franca took the opportunity to present its work on innovation and economic diversification linked to the sea, focusing on incubating technology companies and attracting business projects to the fiscal enclosure.

Participation in Navalia follows the hosting of the Blue Zone Forum-Navalia Meeting 2025 in Cádiz, an event focused on innovation and sustainable maritime development. State delegate Fran González emphasized the strategic importance of the naval sector for the province, highlighting its tradition, industrial capacity, and generation of specialized employment, and advocated for public-private collaboration to consolidate future projects.