Livorno announces tender date of December

The massive port expansion and land reclamation project is budgeted at €850m and will involve the development of a container terminal that will have an area of 72 hectares, berths of more than 1,000m and water depth up to 16m.

Ocean Shipping Consultants (OSC) provided the initial market study for the project and then, together with its Italian partner, D’APPOLLONIA, was hired to introduce prospective operators to the project, which has up until now been delayed due to ‘local issues’.

Steve Wray, senior consultant, Ocean Shipping Consultants, told Port Strategy: “Livorno port authority has no real option if it is to continue to handle container volumes, other than to expand the existing facility of Darsena Toscana to be able to accommodate bigger vessels.”

He pointed out that failure to do anything else will see Livorno port handle less and less cargo and would only be able to handle feeder vessels. This is not a unique position to be in even in this region, because Genoa (VTE and SEC), La Spezia and Vado Ligure (APMT) are all in a similar position.

Mr Wray continued: “However, the depth of water proposed at Livorno’s Europa Platform combined with the quay length, number of gantry cranes and hinterland access, particularly to the north of Italy, offers liner shipping a distinct opportunity to call at a deep water port in the region.”

He added that it also gives the port the opportunity to increase volumes by handling ULCSs and feeders, primarily for local Italian cargo, but with the potential to offer transhipment facilities as well.