Genoa considers cruise use for the Sech terminal

Photo: Alesia Belaya

Port plan leaves several uses open

The Port of Genoa is examining the possibility of a cruise function for the Sech terminal. According to a report by Shipping Italy on October 27, this is one option in the new port plan, which is still being drawn up by the competent port authority and has so far been treated as confidential. A change of use for the current container terminal has not been decided.

Matteo Paroli, president of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, presented the possible uses at a hearing before the Regional Council’s Environment and Territory Committee, according to the newspaper. The plan could designate the Sech site for its existing container function or for Ro-Pax traffic. The port authority would decide only if its use had to change in the future. Paroli cited as possible trigger points the scheduled end of the current concession in 2047, the current operator’s decision to relinquish it, or its revocation in the overriding public interest.

According to Paroli, only in the Ro-Pax scenario would the site also be considered for berthing large cruise ships. He said the review was prompted by the dimensions of newer vessels: some cruise ships now require a draft of almost 12.5 metres draft; water depths in the current port are not adequate everywhere to accommodate them.

Decision also linked to PSA Pra’

The question of Sech is linked to the future of the Genova Pra’ container terminal, also operated by PSA. Paroli described extending the western end of its quay by about 200 metres as the preferred solution for creating another berth for full container ships. According to him, this would be more costly, since the outer breakwater would also have to be moved.

Local committees in Pra’ and the municipality have already opposed this option. The port authority is therefore also considering an alternative: reclaiming around 90,000 square metres of land for use as a storage area for empty containers. Shipping Italy writes that the dispute over Genova Pra’ could make it easier to relinquish or revoke the Sech concession. No decision on this development has yet been made.

Current terminals and future port planning

Cruise passengers in Genoa currently use the Ponte dei Mille and Ponte Andrea Doria terminals. The location of the assigned berth determines the route to the ship. Any future additional berth at the Sech terminal will depend on planning decisions and whether the site is technically suitable for the vessels in question.

The opposition concerns not only port land, but also workers and existing usage rights. Luca Becce, president of the Genoa terminal operators’ association and a PSA executive, criticised the public discussion about Sech. According to Shipping Italy, he pointed to 270 employees, investments at the terminal and the existing concession. The proposed changes to port land therefore run up against the concrete interests of the current operation and its workforce.

For Genoa, one of the Italian cruise ports, any future use of Sech would form part of a wider reorganisation: it depends on developments in Pra’, the future port plan, the concession and the technical requirements for large ships. Until the port authority has decided these issues, the cruise function remains a planning option.

Autor: Markus Lenk