At the moment the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on terminals Italian port workers is not yet devastating, but worrying as far as may happen in the coming days and in the weeks if the situation of belligerence continues. This was noted by the Italian Association of Port Terminal Operators (Assiterminal) by analyzing the activity in progress in the different domestic terminals. However - specified the director of the association, Alessandro Ferrari - "is not a Situation easy to frame at the moment. For now - he explained - The first tangible effects are, as for everyone, the increase in the cost of of fuel and electricity that inevitably go to affect operating costs. As regards the volumes of trafficking, on the other hand, it is still too early to express a evaluation. The Adriatic, however, is experiencing a first slowdown in exports. I am referring in particular to the sectors metallurgy, ceramics, manufactured products and cereal derivatives, where problems are encountered with shipping of the goods".

"Ravenna, Ancona, Venice, partly Trieste - specified Ferrari - begin to feel a projection of contraction of both imports (raw materials functional to the allied industries of the neighboring territories) and exports. On the other hand, compared to the forecasts that had been made only 15 days ago, the shipping times have again significantly increased slowed down. It must be taken into account that the Red Sea is practically, again, at a standstill, with the consequent reorganization maritime logistics and the greater attractiveness of ports closer to Gibraltar, where ships resume circumnavigating Africa: this can obviously to prejudice Italian ports with a more international vocation far from the western access to the Mediterranean. So you are working for an overall reorganization and rationalization of spaces and work. Even the Tyrrhenian Sea, in reality, it senses what is happening, but to a lesser extent. In the field of containers, for example, war has repercussions on the management of "empty" but above all on transhipment quotas that are reposition towards Spanish and Moroccan ports for their proximity to Gibraltar. The traffic of the Tyrrhenian Sea is very oriented on trade relations with the American continent, unlike of the Adriatic that looks very far to the East".

"If it continues like this - noted the director of Assiterminal - the effect on costs will no longer be had Feel only in the pockets of the operators, but of all citizens. A resumption of the inflationary phenomenon is inevitable, with consequent contraction in consumption and therefore effects on both imports and on exports. We are constantly monitoring the situation comparing ourselves with our members. I confess - he also made well-known Ferrari - that some concerns also arise for the cruise sector: it is felt, as happened in the past for similar scenarios of tensions close to the Mediterranean, a slowdown in bookings from the United States and it could be consequently to verify a decrease in traffic that only up to a month ago it was given further expansion; The sector ferries, on the other hand, could be impacted especially from the point of view of tariff view with the combined ETS costs with the increase in bunkers: in this regard - Ferrari underlined - the interventions of the government and Confindustria in the Brussels, aimed at obtaining at least a suspension of the measure, waiting to review its mechanisms".

"The most relevant data, which should be valued with active policies towards the sector - concluded the director of Assitermianl - is the ability of the logistics to adapt quickly to these crises, redesigning routes, finding alternative solutions, thus offering products and services that can still meet demand: by making cruises, reinventing alternative itineraries, so such as maritime transport players, finding mixed solutions via road or rail to bring the goods, in any case to their destination: are making the terminals, optimizing their capacity operational. It is evident, therefore, that when we ask, we demand simplification of decision-making and control processes by of the public administration, we do it because we would like to a closer and more ready governance (also at European level) to accompany the changes together with those who make these changes suffers due to obvious market dynamics and geopolitical effects now become, in their schizophrenia, normality".