The extraordinary commissioner of the System Authority Port of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, Paolo Piacenza, has the ambitions of the port of Gioia Tauro were raised, and not a little, in his opinion has the opportunity in the next four years to increase by as much as +75% the container traffic handled on the docks of the Calabrian port. Participating today in Genoa at the conference "Uniting ports, building the future" organized by SRM - Intesa San Paolo as part of the "Genoa Shipping Week", recalled that the port of Gioia Tauro has "closed 2024 with 3.9 million TEUs handled. In the first nine months of this year - he pointed out - we have already recorded a growth by 11.6% compared to the first nine months of 2024 so, with good probability, we will close 2025 by knocking down, for the first time the barrier of four million TEUs. These are numbers incredible events that deserve to be analyzed in context national, because the port of Gioia Tauro handles 40% of Italian containers. A figure that should make us think on the true importance of transhipment, which cannot be considered as a mere transhipment activity but which represents an essential gateway for goods international market in the national market".

"We must also dwell - he continued Piacenza - on the 3.9 million TEUs handled in 2024 by noting as, of these, 3.3 million concern full containers. A fact important because it makes you understand how she moved the national and Mediterranean economy and what is the role within the same, which covers our port. All this means the production of added value, for example in terms of VAT, in the ports where the goods are unloaded and therefore taxes and revenues that remain in the territory, on which however, it should be reflected considering that few of these resources remain in the port of transhipment which, however, as seen, it is an essential element of this chain. Add In addition, that of the 3.9 million TEUs handled, about 800 thousand are containers arriving or going to national ports: from this point of view to say that the port of Gioia Tauro is a port of transhipment is true, but perhaps it is reductive because it must be considered that without the port of Gioia Tauro about 800-900 thousand TEUs of goods would not arrive in other ports in Italy and therefore in the national market".

The ambitions, however, are very great: "I think - he Piacenza - that the port of Gioia Tauro is a port essential that will grow further, so much so that Our traffic forecasts point to seven million TEUs by 2029. All this, however, can be done with investments in infrastructure that must be Funded. I am referring to the expansion of the yards, to the speed container handling, digitalisation and safety of computer systems. And then also to the ability to attract and export goods by train. We have a railway park of six 750-metre tracks which, in the first nine months of the year, 616 pairs of trains destined to grow. These too data, referring to goods arriving from other realities national, which thanks to the giant ships of Gioia Tauro can having an international market, must serve to open up a overall system reflection, so that a port of transhipment has an absolute relevance on the national economy of ports".

Piacenza concluded by also mentioning the possibility of development of the Gioia Tauro hinterland: «the goal that at this moment - he explained - is to verify how to be able to develop the inland port areas by bringing value added to our port and the territory. I think having a port of these physical capacities and not exploit the port area which is not interrupted as in other ports of Italy from motorways and hills, is an opportunity not to be missed to ensure greater development of the territory".