Genoa – It is an interesting type of traffic that Genoa wants to expand: break bulk, especially special loads, guarantees a high yield compared to other goods. Less quantity, but high added value. And the Messina group is gearing up: «We are evaluating the purchase of heavy lift ships» explains Ignazio MessinaCEO of the Genoese company.
Is the port of Genoa equipped to accommodate break bulk traffic?
«The airport is quite well placed. However, although the natural outlet would be Genoa, the break bulk also from Piedmont and Lombardy preferably heads towards the Adriatic due to the existing procedures for obtaining authorizations for the passage of extra-sized and extra-weight goods”.
What goals do you have?
«We think it is important to diversify traffic and we want to add break bulk to containers in addition to car traffic: ecobales, aluminium, steel, orders from Ansaldo, the former Ilva, coils. On the other hand, Genoa has a historical tradition in this sense, which is important for the activities of companies in the North West.”
What will be the Messina group’s next steps?
«We are thinking of entering the project market with heavy lift ships, investing in this type. Having sold the ro-ro ships we are focusing on the lo-lo ships. We have invested 7 million for special containers for the loading of rolling stock, various goods, caissons, tanks, up to 45 tons. Extra-gauge traffic has always been in our DNA.”
How do you plan to use heavy lift ships?
«Today, in addition to rolling stock, we transport the project on liners. Evaluating the acquisition of heavy lift ships, we plan to use them on non-scheduled services, therefore looking for the cargo where we will find it. We will look for pieces of exceptional size and weight, from the Adriatic to the Arabian Gulf.” Why this change? «We did scheduled services and that was it, but in the last 20 years there has been an explosion in global carriers and in the size of ships operated. As the Messina group we will not become a global carrier, but we want to grow with the services where we are already present and look for space in new markets. The modality changes: paradoxically, to do something new we go back to managing ships as we did in the past.”
Even in this sector you will find competition already present, even if there are larger operators in Northern Europe than in the Mediterranean.
«The largest fleets reach 150 ships, but you can already operate with 5 or 10 ships. We can focus on an area where we already have tradition and customer relationships. We would fly the Italian flag operating in Mediterranean Europe, North Africa, the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf. We will then evaluate whether to also look at Northern Europe.”
So are you thinking of leaving with a dozen ships?
«No, nothing is defined yet, we are in the planning phase. However, we hope to be able to leave by the end of the year. More effort would be needed to allow this type of goods to arrive in Genoa. Unfortunately there is difficulty for certain types of traffic to come down from the Apennines. We would like to carry out an important commercial action, involving the institutions. Today it takes 30 days to obtain an authorization. If something changes, we have to wait another 30. We need to restore credibility to our docks.”
