The Morandi Bridge in Genoa collapsed suddenly in August 2018, tragically killing 43 people and disrupting access to/from the port as well as wider road transport links between Italy and France. The bridge was successfully rebuilt and opened again in August 2020, but not before Covid-19 had dealt the region a new blow.
“At the time of the bridge collapse, our traffic had been growing at the rate of 5% during the previous seven months,” recalls Paolo Signorini, president of Ports of Genoa, “but by the end of the year we didn’t register any growth at all.
“This year, because of the pandemic,” he continues, “we lost almost 16% of traffic compared to the first 10 months of 2019, a very heavy and unexpected reduction.”
In response, Ports of Genoa - the Western Ligurian Sea Ports Authority set up in late 2016 to oversee the four neighbouring ports of Genoa, Pra’, Savona and Vado Ligure, which together form Italy’s leading port cluster - has adopted “three main measures” to deal with the latest setback, he continues.
“Firstly, the port authority is trying to restore the damage that Covid did to all its stakeholders.”
“Secondly, we are trying to accelerate the existing infrastructure improvement project already in place since the collapse of the bridge. We have to work safely, but we believe this is the best way to spend our money and react to the pandemic.”
“And thirdly, use of innovative technologies in the ports is being accelerated, because digitalisation and automation are two good ways to avoid physical contact in our operations.” Signorini cites the example of how “more than 5,000 trucks arrive in port every day, and drivers used to meet up and talk while dealing with paperwork but now we’re trying to eliminate that.”
The bridge rebuilding and wider Genoa regeneration project over the past two-and-a-half years has been nothing short of “remarkable,” feels Signorini, who sees it as having comprised two main phases.
“The first was reconstruction work of the bridge itself, which was completed in 18 months and is now often referred to as a model for best practices. This restored credibility in the port - for being able to restore infrastructure in a quick and efficient way - and it had a strong signalling effect worldwide.
“The second challenge was to place the port in a much better situation than existed before August 2018 in terms of its accessibility, both by land and sea, which was a priority for development even before 2018 but was placed in jeopardy by the bridge collapse.
“We have already started that process,” he continues, “and road access to the port is now much better than before. We have separated trucks from ordinary traffic moving about the city, and we are beginning to see more cargo going in and out of the port via rail.”
President Signorini thinks the best way to describe the overall recovery effort is that the city has “discovered a spirit of cohesion. It’s a moment of rebirth and this is the new feeling in Genoa today. It shows we can recover. There’s still a lot of work to do but we have started.”
Which leads on the new development projects that Ports of Genoa is now undertaking, and for which it is seeking some £1bn of federal funding as part of monies allocated to Italy within the EU’s post-Covid recovery plan.
The first is the building of a new breakwater to improve maritime access to the port. The plan is to remove the existing structure and replace it with new one, built 500mtr further out from the shore, to accommodate today’s larger ships that would wish to call the port. Phase One of works would be completed by 2026, and the whole project by 2030.
Also planned is expansion of the existing Fincantieri shipbuilding yard at Sestri Ponente, again by around 2026, essentially to enable greater production of cruiseships in the Genoa area.
Other projects include improving ‘last mile’ rail connections to the port, thereby enabling freight trains up to 750mtr in length to connect to/from Genoa (via Milan) with a new high-speed line crossing the Alps and stretching all the way up to Rotterdam, due to open in 2023.
Plus there’s the redevelopment of urban areas bordering the port in Genoa, a new cruise terminal there once that traffic picks up again, and expansion of the passenger terminal at Genoa airport, part owned by the port authority.
All of which would represent a further massive boost for Ports of Genoa, which has already recently undergone a major upgrade of its container facilities with the opening of the new semi-automated Vado Gateway terminal, majority owned by APM Terminals, just west of Savona, and Calata Bettolo container terminal, built by a consortium including MSC, close to Genoa’s old city-centre harbour.
A third container facility operated by Singapore’s PSA International, situated between Genoa and Savona and formerly known as VTE (Voltri Terminal Europa), had had its name changed to PSA Genova Pra’ and undergone modernisation, including the addition of new cranes.
“People talk about container overcapacity and say there are too many terminals,” observes Signorini, “but I think that misses the point.” Rather what is needed are new automated terminals able to quickly unload today’s ultra large container vessels, he feels.
Also, when people talk about capacity, they often merely “aggregate terminals with very different levels of capability,” he says, without taking into account the in-built obsolescence of some older facilities.
“So within 10 years,” concludes the Ports of Genoa president, “I think there will be a transition to fully operational terminals with new standards – such as Vado, Bettolo and Pra’ – and others.”
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