Genoa – What moment is the maritime transport market for special cargoes experiencing? «The critical issues that unfortunately still characterize the Red Sea area – he says Stefano Messina, president of Assarmatori – they inevitably also have a significant impact on this transport segment, which in Italy traditionally boasts various peaks of excellence at an international level. The main problems are related to transit times and higher operating costs, clearly linked to the need to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope, compared to transit through the Suez Canal, with all that this entails. But what is also worrying is the possibility that the Mediterranean may no longer be considered, at least in the medium term and until geopolitical tensions subside, a transit area precisely because of the redirection of ships: at this point, in fact, it would be more the European Atlantic coast is preferred, with all the negative consequences of the case as regards our country”.
What are the main critical issues for those who operate in this type of business?
«At the moment, all attention is focused on this particular area of the world, and this applies to all types of traffic that affect Italy and Europe. We have talked about longer travel times and increased costs, but this also translates into a double operational difficulty that is anything but secondary. In such an uncertain scenario, in fact, it is often not possible to give guarantees to customers on the delivery times of the project cargo, which has a very high unit value of the goods and must respect a more effective production planning, and it also becomes extremely difficult to plan the activities for the next few months. You have to navigate by sight, day by day, and this is particularly difficult in this type of traffic. This picture of the situation ultimately involves renegotiations of contracts with end customers.”
Are Italian ports, from an infrastructure point of view, equipped to operate in the special cargo sector?
«In general, Italian ports are well equipped and there are no particular difficulties; clearly the situation can vary from airport to airport, but there are no particular concerns from this point of view. We must always keep in mind that project cargo is managed by sea most of the time with dedicated ships, which can therefore operate in relative autonomy using the on-board cranes. The problem, rather than within the ports, is behind them, that is, it is related to ground logistics and the difficulty for special loads to reach the docks. Let’s think for example of the motorway network, the problems associated with tunnels, bridges and viaducts are well known in our country; problems that have a different impact depending on the areas of the country. Let’s take a concrete example: in Northern Italy it is certainly easier to embark an exceptional load in the Adriatic ports, precisely because of the shape of the territory and the related infrastructure network, compared to the Tyrrhenian ones. With limitations that are accentuated by the multiple construction sites open on the motorway network.”
What are the most handled special loads at the moment in Italy and abroad?
«The Italian project cargo market boasts a consolidated tradition of excellence and specialization. Ours is a country that produces and therefore exports transformers, turbines, electric generators and heat exchangers, appreciated for their quality throughout the world. For this reason, even today the flows relating to these types of special loads continue to be significant for Italy and, as a logical consequence, the maritime transport that supports them is growing and manages to be competitive on the market. Similarly, we also boast some important companies active in the world of plant engineering and construction which contribute significantly to these trades.”
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