Our history

With experience across a wide range of industries, RINA is a multinational company that helps clients build strong, successful businesses

1861 - Establishment of Registro Italiano Navale

The classification society was established in Genoa, Italy: in the very first year of operations, our 13 agencies classed 340 vessels

1866 - Consolidation and development

Initial consolidation and development stage, with an exponential increase in our coverage of the Italian territory: five years after the establishment, our 49 agencies classed 1,500 vessels

1885 - International expansion

An office in Shanghai was opened, a pioneering project that ushered in the international expansion policy

1910 - Registro Nazionale Italiano

Merge with Registro Nazionale, parallel and complementary register founded by the major shipping companies in collaboration with State representatives connected to the maritime industry

1915 - 1918: World War I

Maritime and merchant traffic was at a standstill, Registro Nazionale Italiano operations were reduced throughout the war period

1919 - International agreements

The first international agreements were signed with the British Corporation Register, the American Bureau of Shipping and Teikoku Kaiji Kyokai, for mutual representation in the respective countries and harmonisation of the rules and regulations

1921 - New organisational structure

Registro Nazionale Italiano merged with Veritas Adriatico, successor to the Austro-Hungarian Veritas. From then on, Registro Navale was located in two different offices: administration stayed in Genoa, and the registered office moved to Rome

1940 - 1945: World War II

Sharp decline in maritime trade, accompanied by technical and logistical reorganisation to cope with the new post-war demand

1948 - 1960: new international agreements

New mutual agreements with other classification registers. We joined the International Institute of Welding (IIW), the International Standardization Organization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Ship Structures Congress (ISSC)

1968 - Foundation of IACS

We founded the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) with six other registers: American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, Det Norske Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai

1970 - Entry into the industrial field

Registro Nazionale expanded its technical structure: a special group was formed to acquire and deliver industrial services, to cope with the changed merchant marine needs corresponding to the rapid developments of associated industrial technology

1999 - Transfer to RINA S.p.A.

Registro Italiano Navale changed to RINA S.p.A., a joint-stock company set up in Genoa to perform assessments, inspections, certification and research into materials, projects, technologies, products and installations

2001 - New internal organisation

The organisational structure was overhauled: all the RINA S.p.A. operations were channelled to the Marine, Certification & Services and Industry divisions

2009 - RINA Services S.p.A.

All operations, licences and accreditations dealing with classification, certification, test and inspections were transferred to RINA Services S.p.A.

2011 - New acquisitions

We acquired D’Appolonia S.p.A., a Genoa-based company dealing with consultancy services, and Simtex S.r.l., a leading private body in Romania for the certification of company management systems and products

2013 - Centro Sviluppo Materiali

We opened up to a new market by acquiring Centro Sviluppo Materiali, a research centre which develops advanced technological solutions related to materials, in particular steel and special alloys

2013 - A multinational Group

We adopted a new structure, including the holding RINA S.p.A. and two business branches managed by RINA Services S.p.A. and D’Appolonia S.p.A.

2014 - New financial partner

Intesa Sanpaolo – through the Merchant Banking Management of its Corporate and Investment Banking Division – and VEI Capital - investment company of Palladio Finanziaria in the Private Equity Mid-Cap segment – agreed to buy a stake in RINA S.p.A.

2015 - An established structure in the USA

A new company became part of us: QIC Inc, a leading TIC company serving major and independent operators as well as manufacturers in the Oil & Gas industry

2016 - A Group in constant growth

We acquired the entire share capital of Edif, a worldwide provider of a diverse range of TIC-CE services that serve to reduce risk, optimise performance and enhance the capability of its clients’ assets

2018 - RINA. A unique brand

We face a deep and total transformation, acquiring a new identity and comprising more than 150 years of history under a unique brand. This new identity combines tradition and innovation to shape the Excellence Behind Excellence

2020 - RINA. Make it Sure. Make it Simple.

We keep evolving because our purpose is to bring together people, the planet and organisations to anticipate the challenges of the future and improve quality of life. To do that, we simplify complexities through our expertise, making what seems impossible, possible. 

2021- Strengthening our Space & Defence arm

We acquired the entire share capital of Interconsulting Engineering, headquartered in Rome, through our subsidiary RINA Consulting. This strategic move augments our existing expertise in safety-critical software engineering and complex electronic systems prototyping.