INVITATION TO THE SEMINAR SERIES
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ISMed as a research laboratory

On state piracy:
Italian fishermen, shipowners and extortion

January 19, 2026 – 10:00 a.m.

CNR-ISMed
Humanities Pole (6th floor)
Via Cardinale Guglielmo Sanfelice 8
Naples

REMOTE ACCESS
on the Teams platform

Poster

The seminar presents the preliminary results of ongoing research into the micro-histories of fishing companies in Mazara del Vallo, home to Italy’s main industrial fishing fleet. The analysis focuses on the seizure of Mazara boats by the Tunisian and Libyan authorities, interpreted as forms of state piracy. The research shows that these incidents are not exclusively attributable to international tensions in the Mediterranean, but are part of targeted extortion strategies. In particular, it reveals a selective use of seizures as a tool of geopolitical pressure and diplomatic negotiation, which has transformed fishermen and businesses into levers of economic coercion. This research intertwines economic history, political economy and international relations, offering new interpretative keys for understanding the role of the state in phenomena of economic coercion.

THE SPEAKER. Vito Pipitone is Senior Researcher at the National Research Council (CNR). He graduated in Economics and Business from the University of Palermo and obtained a specialisation in Transport Law and Economics and a PhD in Economics and Institutions. He has extensive experience in national and international research projects on the Mediterranean economy, environmental sustainability, innovation and migration, coordinating initiatives on the circular economy and biodiversity protection. He currently teaches microeconomics and political economy at LUMSA University in Palermo and is the author of numerous scientific papers on productivity, regional development and the economics of natural resources.

PROGRAMME

SPEAKER
Vito Pipitone
CNR-ISMed

INTRODUCES AND MODERATES
Monica Gambino
CNR-ISMed

FINAL DISCUSSION

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Gabriella Corona, Claudia Di Somma (CNR-ISMed)

INFO AND CONTACTS
segreteria.direzione@ismed.cnr.it

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The seminar is open to the public, subject to availability.
It is possible to participate remotely via the Teams platform.