Container business at Genova grew 11.8% last year to 2.1m teu, marking the first time the port has broken through the 2 million teu barrier.
All four box-handling facilities registered sharp increases: Voltri Terminal Europe posted a 9% rise to 1.2m teu; SECH was up by 16.9% to 327,204 teu; Messina by 3.1% to 211,894 teu; and Genoa Port Terminal by 52.8% to 221,978 teu.
“In general, the Port of Genova registered solid container traffic growth in 2012, despite the economic slowdown in global trade. Although Genova continues to be strongest in the Far East-Europe corridor - which in 2012 accounted for approximately 30% of the port’s total teu throughput - container traffic to/from the Far East fell by 5% compared to the previous year,” says Pietro Dante Oddone, the port authority's communications and promotions director.
Genova can comfortably accommodate 3m teu, with two major container terminal infrastructure developments under way. The new, 800,000 teu Calata Bettolo container terminal is on schedule to be completed by 2015, while landfill being undertaken between Ronco and Canepa piers will create new yard space in the Sampierdarena basin, coming on line in the first quarter of 2015.
“Investment programmes implemented by the port authority and terminal operating companies have successfully catered for the new market requirements, such as vessel upsizing. Dredging operations at VTE and SECH are also paving the way for the latest generation of 14,000 teu+ containerships, which is being matched by the acquisition of new handling equipment with an 18-row outreach.”
