“We were pleased to have had the time to share with Secretary Perdue, together with Deputy Minister Rixi, the complexity and richness of Genoa’s port morphology,” stated President Matteo Paroli. “The visit by sea of the port basins was followed by a helicopter tour which offered us the opportunity to illustrate the multi-commodity capacity of Sampierdarena, the flagship full-container facility at Pra’, the ongoing construction of the new open-sea breakwater, and the strategic role, as an intermodal hub, of the international Airport of Genoa, owned 60% by the Port Authority. The aerial view also highlighted the high degree of difficulty and sizable capital investment involved in upgrading major infrastructure in our port, situated along a narrow strip of land, enclosed between the sea and the mountains compared, for example, to Florida. This is especially true for motorways, where the construction of just one kilometre requires significantly higher investments than in other geographical areas. This, together with the government-backed pledge of over one billion euros in last-mile road and rail connections, impressed our guest, demonstrating Italy’s determination to consolidate Genoa’s leading role in international trade and to strengthen ties with strategic partners such as the State of Florida. We trust that this visit will pave the way for new forms of collaboration in key areas of common interest, namely, innovation and clean energy. My sincere thanks go to the Italian Central Command and Port of Genoa Coast Guards for their invaluable contribution to ensuring the success of this trade mission.”
“The helicopter tour with the Secretary of Transportation of Florida provided us with the precious opportunity to showcase the progress of the construction of one of the greatest infrastructure works underway in the Mediterranean, the new open-sea breakwater,” declared the Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi. “Investments in large-scale infrastructure such as this, not only sharpen the overall competitive edge of our port industry, but strengthen the Port of Genoa’s position in international trade. We are keen for our partners to see with their own eyes the potential of Genoa and Liguria, which are on track to play a central role in the development of global maritime connections.”
