Assarmatori Annual Report, Messina: “We need a Mediterranean identity”

The 2004 Assarmatori Annual Meeting has started at the Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel, with the Mediterranean Identity for Europe as its guiding thread.

Opening the morning was President Stefano Messina who spoke of cohesion, of a “Mediterranean block in the noblest sense of the term” of “different needs of the countries bordering the Mediterranean compared to those of Northern Europe”. And also of the European Commission: “The new legislature of the European Parliament and the new commission have just started, new representatives will have to lead the continent. We are reading various theses. I wish good work and a sense of responsibility to those who will represent us because we need a Mediterranean identity. It is not a slogan, it is what we will commit to do on which we ask you to be measured, criticized and helped in the exercise of our work”.

Stefano Messina spoke about the company that has 100 years of history behind it: “We have further developed our work with offices in Brussels, Genoa and Rome; we are in the advisory committees of almost all Italian ports. We want to be useful to the management and the credit goes to the shipping companies and businesses.

The maritime port cluster despite its diversity is very united and solid. Conflicts are almost residual. There is a great deal of synthesis that allows us to be authoritative in presenting our requests”.

He continued: “Last year, the risk of partial deglobalization was highlighted and things have become complicated, just think of the war in Ukraine and now the one in the Middle East. There is a new geopolitics to which the maritime world is adapting because it is flexible. But, in any case, we hope that reason, an authoritative international policy will prevail over tensions and wars”.

As for Italy: “We had the pandemic in Italy, then the Russian-Ukrainian war and energy supplies were kept unchanged. A certified fact is that in 2023 the import of gas via pipeline decreased. While the amount in liquid form increased by 16 percent. A trend that is consolidating. As for the central themes for us, they are: energy transition, maritime work, simplification, relationship with institutions. And the need to protect our specificity.

I’ll start with simplification.

We shipowners do not choose a flag for convenience. And it is not even a cost factor. Nothing could be more wrong. What shipowners who change flag find is simplification and digitalization with the same safety and certification. Something that then becomes savings in time and costs.

The bill being examined by the Senate contains numerous elements. The Council of Ministers has approved a draft bill for similar measures. Cipom is working on a similar law on the blue economy. I would also like to highlight the work of the Ministry of Health engaged in modernizing the law that regulates the health service on board ships and which dates back to the late 1800s. There is still a lot to do but what we perceive is this compactness and convergence and motivation on work and that the contribution comes from entrepreneurs. The country is governed by businesses, by SMEs that are holding their own. They are entrepreneurs, not just shipowners.

In this regard, the issue of work is central. In the next few days, we will sign the renewal of the national collective agreement because we recognize the importance of workers. The unions are not a counterpart to conflict with, but to dialogue with”.

Relationship with institutions

“Our industry must be capable, attentive, aware. We want strong and authoritative authorities. I would like to point out that I do not want to convey a sense of presumption, we believe that we can make a contribution and the regime of mutual dialogue and transparency can only do good for the sector. Because with regard to environmental issues and energy transition we believe that further development of the relationship is essential”.

Energy transition

“Europe’s environmental policy has been decided. Two years ago we were a bit shocked, today the member states are entrusted with the task of implementing. There is no room for opposition. We expect that the choices are aimed at the objectives decided by the Union.

We must therefore make choices so that alternative fuels can be identified. Therefore, we ask for the establishment of a table so that the needs of the companies can be defined.

We have the international experience and then we have the specificity of our country.

We still have a few months: we are therefore in time for a very important appointment, we are focusing on biofuels and LNG. The challenge has started both on the supply and in the construction of the supply chain capable of responding to the growing demand for green propellant.

We need to set up and defend a national regulatory framework that includes LNG as the fuel on which we focus primarily.

We await financial support as provided for by the ETS and FUE EO regime in force from January 2025.

But in this regard the very large revenues generated in maritime transport in Italy by ETS and FUEL EO are not dispersed in other sectors. Or that they are not spent.

The legislation has introduced purpose taxes. This is the definition. Taxes on passengers and goods that have the objective of supporting this process that cannot be started without support from the State”.

So there are three objectives:

“A real policy to support the maritime modal shift with worthy funds; contribution to the renewal of ships and on-shore systems necessary for decarbonisation and support for shipowners who use alternative fuels”.