Yesterday morning, the US Consul General in Florence, Daniela Ballard, visited the port of Piombino.
The senior diplomat, accompanied by her political and economic advisor, Michele Comelli, was welcomed at Piombino Port Authority’s headquarters by the Port Authority’s Promotion top executive, Claudio Capuano, and Piombino’s Harbour Master, Lieutenant Commander Alberto Poletti.
During her visit, the Consul expressed her full appreciation for the numerous investments and efforts by the Port Network Authority over the years to make the port more attractive. Today not only has the port taken on a role of national importance hosting the Italis LNG regasification vessel, it is also at the forefront of an ambitious project to relaunch the steel industry hub.
The morning continued with a tour of the port by sea on a patrol boat provided by the Harbour Authority for the occasion. This allowed the Consul to appreciate the characteristics of the Piombino port and learn about its future development.
Daniela Ballard emphasized how the work carried out so far as part of the Port Masterplan has enabled the port to fully realize its potential in operational, industrial, logistics and infrastructural terms. “The port remains an important hub for connecting services to the islands and, above all, for cruise traffic, given the great interest American tourists have in southern Tuscany, with the Island of Elba, Saturnia, Monte Argentario, Sovana, Pitigliano and Giannutri, areas that offer a winning combination of sea, spas and historic villages,” added the Consul.
“The Consul’s visit is a great honour and source of prestige for the port of Piombino. Thanks to all the institutional bodies involved, port operators and technical nautical services, a positive, operational image has been restored to the entire context, which has synergy and openness to continuous dialogue as one of its strengths,”said Commander Poletti.
“The ports in our North Tyrrhenian Network ports are a strategic hub for trade with the United States. During our meeting, a common desire emerged to strengthen current synergies and develop new economic opportunities,” said Claudio Capuano.
Translation by Giles Foster
