Fincantieri SpA, the Italian state- controlled shipbuilder, is among final bidders for a stake in STX OSV Holdings Ltd. (SOH), the world’s biggest maker of offshore support vessels, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

An investment fund also made an offer, one person said, declining to identify the bidder. South Korea’s STX Group, which is seeking to sell its 51 percent stake in Singapore-listed STX OSV, may conclude a deal next month, the person said, asking not to be identified because the process is confidential.

STX Group’s stake is worth S$1.02 billion ($809 million) based on yesterday’s closing price, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Singapore’s takeover guidelines require any buyer of more than 30 percent of a publicly traded company to make an offer for the rest of the stock. STX OSV, based in Alesund, Norway, has a market value of S$2 billion.

The company may draw bids as energy exploration in new offshore fields bolsters demand for vessels used to move and supply rigs. Deep-water explorers are projected to spend a record $232 billion on new equipment in the next five years, according to Canterbury, U.K.-based researcher Douglas-Westwood.

STX OSV is “definitely well positioned in terms of what they do and long-term industry demand trends,” said Vincent Fernando, an analyst at Religare Capital Markets (Singapore) Pte. “Deep water is clearly the future for the oil and gas offshore investment.”