The Italian Confederation of Shipowners has confirmed its full support for the current regulatory framework of the port trailer, recognizing its importance as a service public interest ensuring the safety of the navigation in port waters and along the coasts. Confitarma has highlighted that the current regulatory model established Article 14 of Law No 84/1994, which is based on competition for the market, "guarantees a balanced and efficient, promoting the quality of towing service to guarantee high safety standards". The The Confederation recalled that, "in this context, together with to the associations of towing service providers, Confitarma has at the time provided its contribution to the definition of the circular of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of 18 December 2013, as well as the subsequent circular of 19 March 2019 which regulates the allocation of concessions for the port towage service, ensuring the transparency and the effective contestability of tenders and, in addition, at the same time, enhancing the fundamental requirements of experience and professionalism of the service providers. This system regulatory framework, in fact - Confitarma underlined in a note - from On the one hand, it has introduced European competitive procedures in accordance with the EU Regulation 352/2017 and the Procurement Code, exceeding the criticality of the previous system, on the other hand, it provided, among other things, its founding elements, the use of the supply criterion cost-effective, as well as the identification of adequate technical requirements necessary for the participation in tenders. In addition, the aforementioned circular provides that the organisation of the service established by the regulations in force expiry of the previous concession (in terms of fleet and daily service coverage) is to be considered suitable for meet the minimum participation requirements also for the period provided for by the tender, except for any change in the service due to increases or decreases in traffic, which is already governed by the ministerial circular of 19 March 2019".

Confitarma noted that "all these elements, together with the identification of an appropriate time horizon of concessions, suitable for supporting adequate investments financial and technological services, guarantee a towing service efficient and high-quality that contributes significantly to decisive for the safety of navigation and landing in the Italian ports. The ministerial circular, where correctly applicable, is therefore recognized by Confitarma as fully suitable tool to manage tenders, ensuring the contestability, without the need for any further Factual verification of tariff reductions or reductions expectations".

The Confederation has specified that if, in the future, should the need arise to update the ministerial circular, "Confitarma will provide, as always, its constructive contribution together with the associations of the providers of the towing service, coordinating with the associated companies and in the compliance with the criteria of transparency and maximum efficiency of the sector' and 'will continue to support all initiatives aimed at preserving and strengthening a regulatory framework that ensures stability, security and competitiveness in the port towage sector, crucial elements for efficiency of the logistics chain and for the protection of the interests of the maritime community".