Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Intesa Sanpaolo and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have granted a €160 million loan to La Spezia Container Terminal (LSCT, a private company and part of the Contship Italia Group), a shipping leader and manager of the Ligurian terminal, for the development of the Port of La Spezia.
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The goal is to improve access to the port by strengthening the rail system, delivering positive employment and environmental impact.
In concrete terms, the funds will support LSCT's investment plan (finalised with the Port Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea on 29 July 2022) to purchase new cutting-edge quayside cranes, ASC[2] yard cranes and others for landside use, in addition to improving infrastructure across the board.
The work mainly covers: the construction of a new quay, the creation of an operational yard, work on the Canaletto Marina, and the strengthening of the rail system for landside goods handling.
It will bring the terminal's total handling capacity to around 2 million TEUs, with the share of goods transferred by rail rising to 50% from its current level of 33%. This will make the Port of La Spezia into an increasingly key location in the Ligurian Sea, where it is among the main access points to the transport corridors connecting central and northern Europe.
The loan has a total maturity of 15 years, with an availability period[3] running until December 2025. It aims to support this strategic piece of infrastructure of national importance, which is also a key hub for the Mediterranean.
The work to expand, rationalise and improve the efficiency of the terminal will also make the national logistics system as a whole more competitive. This will be aided by the adoption of cutting-edge automation and electrification solutions, in line with the most modern ports of northern Europe.
CO2 emissions per TEU handled normally will be halved, while overall emissions will be cut by 10% from 2026. The investment programme is in line with the "do no significant harm†(DNSH) principle of not causing significant damage to the environment under the six objectives set in the EU taxonomy. Direct and indirect effects on employment levels are also expected, given the demand that will be created. ■