VISIT TO THE MALTA FREEPORT, IMPORTANT STRATEGIC PLATFORM FOR TRANSHIPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

On 30th September 2014 the Ambassador of Italy Giovanni Umberto De Vito visited the “Malta Freeport” container terminal and met the Chief Executive Officer Alex Montebello who illustrated the various activities carried out and the logistic connections between Malta and more than a hundred ports around the world.

The Malta Freeport, together with the Italian ports of Gioia Tauro and Taranto, represents one of three key ports of call for large vessels involved in the transhipment of containers in the central Mediterranean, both in terms of draught (maximum 18 metres) and nominal capacity of movement (nearing the 3 million mark of TEU per annum). The connection network includes regular services to 15 Italian ports: Ancona, Bari, Cagliari, Catania, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Naples, Palermo, Pozzallo, Ravenna, Salerno, Trapani and Venice. There are various maritime companies offering regular services to and from Malta, including Tarros Spa of La Spezia which runs weekly between La Spezia, Malta and Tripoli. Towage services to vessels within the Malta Freeport are supplied exclusively by Rimorchiatori Riuniti SpA of Genoa through Tug Malta Ltd.

Ambassador De Vito thanked Dr. Montebello for the welcome received and for the expression of esteem directed towards the Italian maritime companies and ports which are in regular contact with the Freeport, carrying out their activities in an atmosphere of fair competition.