Working increasingly as a team as part of a systemic approach. According to Davide Gariglio, President of the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority, this is the priority for port authorities.
At LetExpo in Verona, the leading transport and logistics trade fair, Mr. Gariglio took part in a round table discussion on the ‘Sea as a Resource’ theme this afternoon. He praised Alis’s ability to organize an event that brings together institutions and the business and logistics world.
“This is a commendable approach,” he said. “The Ministry of Infrastructure adopted it when it decided to reorganize itself into a General Directorate that would bring the entire supply chain together.”
The same reasoning can and must be applied to ports, which are “not isolated but increasingly geostrategic hubs closely linked to consumer markets and manufacturing centres”
During the round table discussion, Mr. Gariglio reiterated that Port Network Authorities (PNA) should not act as separate entities but should operate as a team: “PNAs,” he said, “ have to remain autonomous, and this autonomy must be preserved, but there needs to be external coordination by the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport (MIT) or a closely related body.” The aim is to ensure that every port is allowed to invest the necessary resources to promote the government’s industrial vision. “After all,” he added, “we are like companies that need a strong umbrella organization over us. We presidents should not be judged on the revenue we generate but by our ability to serve the country as a whole.’
The president of the ports of Livorno and Piombino publicly thanked Assoporti (the Italian Port Association) for the work it has been doing under the careful leadership of its new president, Roberto Petri, who “is performing his role very well.” He also pointed out that the Port Authorities are each doing their part to promote this team spirit: “Under the guidance of the Italian Port Association, we are working together synergistically, developing a common approach aimed at resolving common problems. I see the presidents of the Port Network Authorities working together and accepting decisions that are taken by a majority vote. Each sees the other not as a competitor, but as part of the national system, where everyone must play their part.”
This is what motivates Mr. Gariglio’s pragmatic invitation to think increasingly in terms of geographical corridors: “In the Three-Year Operational Plan we are currently drafting, we see ourselves as an integral part of a macro-regional system that spans the entire Tyrrhenian-Ligurian corridor, encompassing not only Livorno and Piombino, but also Genoa, Savona and La Spezia. We share the same economic framework: I believe that the conditions are now in place for these port networks to work side-by-side to give our ports new growth opportunities.”
During the round-table discussion, Mr. Gariglio also touched on issues directly related to the organization he heads, in particular, Darsena Europa. “Today,” he admitted, “Ships are getting larger and larger, with ever-increasing capacity. Quays are not evolving at the same pace as the world of shipping.” As a result, many historic ports are now unable to meet the needs of the big carriers: “Darsena Europa was created partly for this reason: to accommodate the latest generation of ships and overcome the limitations and constraints of our commercial port.”
Translation by Giles Foster
