A careful look at the still highly uncertain geopolitical environment and a heightened focus on the issues of sustainability, intermodality and digitalization. The Port Network Authority (PNA) has adopted this two-tiered approach, both contingent and project-based, to update its Three-Year Port Operational Plan, the planning document required by Law 84/1994 that defines development strategies for port activities.
Over the next few days, the 2024-2026 Plan, will be presented to port community stakeholders for comments and observations, in view of possible integrations. Today President Luciano Guerrieri illustrated it to the Management Committee.
Starting from an analysis of the current geopolitical, economic, and social context, characterized by continuing instability-due, above all, to the long, drawn-out conflict in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, and the attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthi – Mr. Guerrieri emphasized how the new Operational Plan strongly accentuates the Port Authority’s proactive, planning capacity, foreseeing strategic objectives and targeted actions to begin a profound transformation process that will positively impact the competitiveness of the port network.
Seven themes underpin the Authority’s new programmatic approach: infrastructure; internationalization; intermodality; energy transition; digital transition; employment and social inclusion.
With regards to infrastructure, the Plan focuses, particularly, on a number of projects of great strategic value.
Once again, the Darsena Europa project is confirmed as being indispensable for Livorno.“The positive environmental compatibility verdict and, likewise, the successful outcome of the European procedure on the compatibility of funding with the State Aid Act, is an important step forward towards completing the mega infrastructure; the executive project and its project assessment will be approved soon.” said the President at the Management Committee meeting, adding that “at this point, every effort will be dedicated to try to allocate the offshore construction work to the companies who secure the contract.”
In addition, the preparation of the specific tender to identify the economic operator who is to build the planned container terminal is set for 2025. At the same time, work will continue on consolidating the containment basin and widening the Industrial Canal and reprofiling the bank on the Marzocco tower side; proposals arising from the study already initiated for reprofiling the Tripoli quay will also be evaluated.
In the case of Piombino, completing the new Darsena Est facility is considered strategic. In particular, in view of revitalizing steel activities and the possible (and perhaps imminent) signing of new Program Agreements with JSW and Metinvest, the issue of funding for the West Quay project, i.e. the wharf in front of the containment basins for the two companies and the “diversified” industrial logistics business sector, is clearly a priority.
On the issue of connections and intermodality, Mr. Guerrieri pointed out that the PNA will continue to follow the work and projects for RFI (the Italian Railway Network) to develop the railway network, in particular the Raccordo project, which, once the construction of the overpass on the port-freight village direct route is completed, will connect the Guasticce hub with the Pisa-Collesalvetti-Vada line.
The Port Operational Plan stresses the need for constant talks with the Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure to overcome the well-known problem of securing the funding for implementing the Raccordo project, while, in a logic of integrated development of the local area, the priority objective is defined as further consolidating the Vespucci Freight Village, defining an action plan to find new areas and services to be made available to companies.
President Guerrieri pointed out that the Port Network Authority will involve the port cluster and the Sea Resource Board for the necessary in-depth studies on the Piano del Ferro (Italian Railway Policy) in both Livorno and Piombino. Likewise similar initiatives are foreseen for projects relating to the planned road network around the port of Livorno and those relating to the second section of the SS398 fast road.
Another cornerstone of the Port Operational Plan is the so-called Twin Transition, the digital and energy one.
The PNA President highlighted how the Plan defines the actions through which the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority intends to implement, through its own digital platforms (MONICA, the Tuscan Port Community System, the Administrative Single Window, etc.), the substantial services it provides for logistics operators and institutional activities.
In terms of Energy Transition, the strategic objective continues to be promoting sustainable development and decarbonizing the port system, in line with all available strategic planning tools.
From this point of view, the Port Operational Plan underlines the Authority’s commitment to develop the cold ironing project in its Network ports. 2023 marked the awarding of the integrated tender for designing the executive project and the carrying out the necessary work for implementing quay electrification in the ports of Livorno, Piombino and Portoferraio. The executive project is currently underway and the work is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024.
As part of the Green Ports project, promoted by the Environment & Energy Transition Ministry, the PNA has also prepared 11 projects designed to promote energy efficiency improvements and using renewable energy.
Internationalization is very important for the Port Network Authority. It intends to focus on certain countries and areas to resume or set up fruitful cooperation, first and foremost with the African continent.
After setting up a Memorandum Of Understanding with Damietta Port Authority to jointly prepare a feasibility study aimed at creating a supply chain for importing green hydrogen to Europe from Egypt, the Port Network Authority is now studying additional proposals for collaboration with other Egyptian, Moroccan and Algerian ports.
The Authority’s action plan does not only include Africa, however. The PNA intends build ties with the Indian port of Mumbai, to facilitate a container trade that can fully exploit Livorno port’s potential.
Finally, strategic measures for developing an efficient, safe port work model have been developed in the Port Operational Plan. New initiatives promoting complete gender equality in ports will also be pursued .
“Our new Three-Year Operational Plan, which we have been illustrating today for the first time, takes the PNA towards a new phase of infrastructural modernization, digital and energy innovation, without neglecting the need to contextualize it in a high-level framework of relations that has its centre of gravity in the Mediterranean,” said Luciano Guerrieri.
‘’If you read the Operational Plan in its entirety you can understand the great length the North Tyrrhenian PNA is going to and will continue to go to for consolidating and developing our Network ports’ traffic and activities‘’ he concluded.
PNA Managing Director, Matteo Paroli, instead, wanted to highlight the innovative nature of a Three-Year Operational Plan that aims to envisage a new strategic scenario in the working environment too.
“In line with the last Port Workforce Strategy Plan, our Port Operational Plan emphasizes the importance of reorganizing and requalifying the Agency authorized to provide temporary manpower pursuant to art. 17 paragraph 5 of Law 84/94 and identifies possible solutions to be adopted to overcome the criticalities in the current organizational model,” he said.
Over the next few days, the consultation period will begin. First, the Port Operational Plan will be presented to the Sea Resource Partnership Body and the Advisory Committees. At the end of this phase, it will be submitted, probably by the end of next month, to the Management Committee for final approval.
Translation by Giles Foster