Continuing domestic economic difficulties and fierce competition among Mediterranean ports made 2011 a tough year for Italian maritime container handling operations. A general slowdown that began in the second half of 2011 continued into the first quarter of this year. However, there were a number of positives to note among these results and there have been some signs of gradual recovery as 2012 progresses. Cumulatively, TEU throughout across all Italian ports in 2011 fell by 2.4% on the previous year to 9,513,000 TEU. A major contributory factor in this overall downturn was a significant drop of 13.3% in the volume of TEU handled by the trans-shipment ports of Gioia Tauro, Taranto and Cagliari. At 3.5 million TEU, these ports collectively accounted for 37% of the country’s total throughput, thus having an obvious knock-on effect on the overall figure. It is however worth noting that Taranto actually notched a 3.9% increase in throughput by handling 604,000 TEU.
GIOIA TAURO
The dip in the total trans-shipment figure mainly relates to a 19.2% fall in TEU traffic at Gioia Tauro, Italy’s busiest container port and the eighth largest in Europe. Indeed, the 2,305,000 TEU handled at the port’s Medcenter Container Terminal (MCT) accounted for just over 24% of the nation’s overall total. However, TEU throughput at MCT has picked up significantly as 2012 has progressed, to the extent that this year could see a resurgence to 2008 levels.
In January, Contship Italia Group signed an agreement to sell 50% of CSM Italia-Gate S.p.A., the sub-holding company controlling 66.7% of MCT, to Terminal Investment Limited (TIL). A major global terminal operator with interests in 16 countries across five continents, TIL handles around 15 million containers per annum and has a unique relationship with the world’s second largest container line, Mediterranean Shipping Company SA. (MSC). The terminal is now owned one third each by Contship Italia Group, TIL, and APM Terminals. New services that have recently started calling at Gioia Tauro include a direct connection to and from Montreal. Added to MCT’s existing services with North America, Contship states that this service creates “unparalleled connectivity” to the continent. In April, existing connections with the Indian subcontinent were enhanced by changes in the I-Med service, introducing both westbound and eastbound calls. On 5 July this year, MCT for the first time successfully berthed and operated on three ultra-large container carrier (ULCC) vessels at once. Vessels of this class have previously been regular callers at MCT, but Contship states that three such sizeable ships being simultaneously berthed at a terminal for operations represented a “record-breaking achievement in the Mediterranean.” Four other ships also arrived and departed in a busy day for the terminal, with a maximum of five ships alongside throughout a 24-hour period. In June, MCT recorded 166,000 quay moves, and the terminal had by early July served some 80 ULCC ships in the 13,000–14,000 TEU range.
A development plan for Gioia Tauro, scheduled to take three years, has been approved. The main elements are quay strengthening, deepening and positioning of a 30-meter rail span along 650 meters of berth, a port entrance enlargement, a new intermodal terminal within the port area, and depth maintenance, with regular dredging scheduled at six intervals each year.
GENOA
The nation’s second busiest container hub, Genoa, helped to minimise the overall national downturn in 2011 by notching a 5% rise in its annual TEU throughout. By handling a total of 1,847,000 TEU, it returned to the same level recorded in 2007. First half results for 2012 are even more encouraging, with the 1,043,817 TEU handled by the end of June representing a 13.9% rise on the comparative period last year. Short-term enhancements to stimulate further growth at the port include landfill and restructure works to specific areas in the port terminals. The Port Authority of Genoa is also working to optimise berth occupation and extend current operating surfaces, improve road and rail access, and expand storage facilities. A landfill between Ronco and Canepa piers that will create 63,000 square meters of new yard space for container and general cargo in the Sampierdarena basin is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2015. This will extend available yard space in the area to more than 300,000 square meters, with the construction of a new 640-linear meter quay with an alongside depth of 14.5 meters. A EUR 40 million project, these works will increase the Ronco Canepa terminal capacity from 200,000 TEU to more than 400,000 TEU.
The port’s TEU capacity will be further boosted by the development of a new container terminal at Calata Bettolo, which is set for completion in 2014. With a 180,000-square meter yard area and 18,000 box yard capacity, the new terminal will be equipped to handle 500,000 TEU per annum. It is being built to handle two 15,000-TEU ships simultaneously and the new generation of ultra large container vessels (ULCVs), with a 750-linear meter quay and an alongside depth of 17 meters.
LA SPEZIA
The country’s third largest container port, La Spezia, processed 1,307,000 TEU in 2011 – a rise of 1.7%. The port’s La Spezia Container Terminal (LSCT), operated by Contship Italia Group, set an all-time handling record within this total of 1,069,000 TEU (82% of total port throughput) – up 2.7% on 2010. On 10 July, LSCT berthed three China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) ships simultaneously. One of these services – the Mediterranean to West Africa Service connection (MAF, a joint service co-operation with ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd) – was making its maiden call at La Spezia. This was part of what was dubbed ‘COSCO Day 2012’, with the shipping line making La Spezia its new Mediterranean gateway to West Africa, which it states will result in notable time and cost savings. This augments existing links already offered by COSCO to and from La Spezia with North America, the Far East, Australia, the Black Sea, and East and West Mediterranean. These international sea routes are further bolstered by the port’s extended links to domestic inland locations. New investments in expansion works make these exciting times for Le Spezia. In the short-term, LSCT recently welcomed a 10th gantry ship-to-shore (STS) crane that can operate 20 rows across to further boost its operating capacity. Such equipment enhancements are geared at improving the terminal’s capability to handle the increasing number of ULCC ships operating in the Mediterranean. However, there is greater change afoot. With a throughput productivity of approximately four TEU per square meter, La Spezia has one of the highest container to handling space ratios in the world, and Contship Italia is investing EUR 200 million into increasing space and capacity at LSCT. This includes EUR 85 million for infrastructure. LSCT’s be
rth lengths will be increased to handle multiple 300–400-meter long ULCCs. Around three quarters of the container ships arriving at the port already exceed 300 meters in length, and this work will dramatically increase La Spezia’s capacity to handle more of these vessels simultaneously. Indeed, the investment will include bringing in new and refurbished cranes with a reach of up to 23 rows across that will enable the port to handle three such vessels at once. The Asia-Mediterranean Container Service 1 (AMC1) provided by China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has upgraded the ship capacity for its calls at LSCT. The service deployment will be 3 x 8,530 TEU and 7 x 6,919 TEU.
RAVENNA, CAGLIARI, AND SALERNO
A 14% surge in TEU handling at Terminal Container Ravenna (TCR) returned it to pre-2009 levels of 198,000 TEU. Strengthening work on the quay wall at TCR, which commenced in 2011, has now been completed. Contship Italia is investing EUR 100 million in expansion works for Ravenna, 85 million of which is being spent on infrastructure. This, the operator states, will make Ravenna the only Adriatic port with more than 14 meters draught, at 14.5 meters. This strategic work is reportedly geared at giving TCR the capacity to handle vessels of up to 9,999-TEU capacity that will be redeployed by carriers from the main east-west arterial, where they are starting to use vessels of more than 10,000-TEU capacity. Italian shipping operator Sermar Line has introduced new services running between North Africa and the Black Sea from Ravenna. Of the other Contship Italia Group terminals, Cagliari International Container Terminal (CICT) and Salerno Container Terminal (SCT) recorded downturns in 2011 of 3.2% (to 558,000 TEU) and 0.3 % (to 171,000 TEU) respectively.
Civil work for the upgrading of the yard at CICT, with the addition of 6,000 square meters, commenced in January 2012, reaching completion at the time of World Port Development going to press. The project is geared at delivering improved safety conditions and performance for Prime Movers, in addition to cost savings for maintenance. Meanwhile, a programme to revamp rubber tyred gantry (RTG) crane operations at CICT has been completed. Hapag Lloyd and Hamburg Sud have enhanced the Med Pacific Service (MPS) by increasing the frequency of calls to Cagliari, which are now weekly. The Indian subcontinent service that visits the port has also undergone a capacity upgrade, increasing its average size to 5,500 TEU. To support these developments, CICT has made improvements to its feeder network.
OTHER FIGURES OF NOTE
Reviewing other overall TEU throughput results for 2011, regional and gateway ports in Italy notched a general growth, particularly in the Adriatic (up 24.4%). However, North Tyrrhenian ports (up 2.3%) maintained the larger market share, handling around 42% of total Italian volumes (4,000,000 TEU). According to figures released by Contship Italia Group, in 2011:
The Port of Livorno recorded a year-on-year increase of 1.5% to reach a total of 638,000 TEU.
The Port of Trieste recorded a rise of 39.6% to reach a total of 393,000 TEU. Over the comparative period of January–May, figures released by the port authority show TEU throughput has increased by 20.1% so far in 2012.
The Port of Naples handled 527,000 TEU, a drop of 1.1% on the previous year.
The Port of Venice notched an increase of 16.5% to 458,000 TEU.
The Port of Savona handled 166,000 TEU, down 15.5% on the previous year.