The Authority of Harbour System of the Sea of Eastern Sicily has made known the activation, through the signature of four concessions of areas, of the procedural agreement that will allow the reorganization of the operating areas of the port of Catania with the objective to exalt the role of hub for the goods ro-ro.

A concession of the duration of 25 years has been absent to the Grimaldi Marangolo Terminal Catania Srl and concerns an area of harbour headquarters of the total surface of 103,029,00 square meters located near the Nuova Darsena commercial of the port, of which a surface discovered of approximately 93.000 square meters and an area to be destined to multi-storey parking of the total surface of approximately 10,000 square meters. The planned activity is that of the ro-ro and ro- pax traffics.

A second concession of ten years to the EST European Terminal Services Srl covers an area of 34,933 square meters located at the docks 8 and 9 - Molo Crispi, also destined to the traffics ro-ro and ro-pax. According to the forecasts of the new Portuale Town development plan, good part of this area will be subsequently destined to harbour functions to be implemented after the realization of the necessary infrastructure works.

A third concession of the duration of four years to Marimport Srl, society that provides harbour services to support the ro-ro and ro-pax traffic generated from the ships of the Grimaldi group, is relative to an area of 2.865 square meters, in part located near the new commercial dock and in part near Molo Crispi. The authorized operational activity is that of logistic presidio, storage and handling in boarding and disembarking automezzi, customs warehouse of temporary custody, management and handling of container referred to the traffic ro-ro.

Finally, a grant of four absenteees to the F.lli Bordieri Srl covers an area of 2,750 square meters located at the new commercial dock of the Catanian port that will be destined to the activity of storage of cars destined for boarding/sembarkation. The company deals with the storage and distribution of new vehicles and used throughout the Italian territory.

The Sicilian harbour agency has specified that on the plan of private investments the concessions released will carry beyond 20 million euros between civil works, machinery, equipment and staff as well as economic commitments for further assumptions and operating programs aimed at the increase of the total traffic, while the relative canons to the four concessions will bring an annual income total for the agency pairs to 1,75 million euros.

The AdSP has evidenced that this reorganization of the harbour areas marks a first concrete step towards the implementation of the Harbour Town Plan of Catania, as the ferry ships will no longer be moored on the central protruding or along the dam of leverage, allowing to implement the opening of the port to the city.