the doubling of the Suez Canal represents an important opportunity for the Italian ports



Today to Naples, near the center of the Bank of Naples, Quinto Rapporto Annuale di SRM on "the Economic Relations between Italy and the Mediterranean" is introduced. The study of this year, as well as for the commercial relations and the presence of the Italian enterprises in these markets, heads to analyze also to dynamics of the marine traffics and the importance that some great infrastructures - as the doubling of the Suez Canal - they can have on the entire Geo-economic order of the Mediterranean.

This objective of analysis has carried SRM to increase its within of attention also to the Countries of the Gulf that carry out a more and more central role are for their marine-harbour function of hub are for the increasing relief of their economies: "to our warning - the general manager of SRM has explained, Massimo Deandreis - this area, than already is worth more than 45 billion export for Italy, it goes proposing as hub logistic-marine in the exchanges with the Mean and Far East, and this will carry it to become one of the central nodes of the world-wide commerce. The doubling of the Suez Canal will return the role of the Mediterranean still more strategic being profitable more fluid the chosen traffics and involving of route by the naval carriers. The new director Mediterraneo-Suez-Golfo goes so asserting itself as a new basin of opportunity for the Italian enterprises and, in particular, for Southern Italy".

The Relationship evidences that altogether export Italian towards the Countries of the Mediterranean South and the Countries of the Gulf it is worth 45,8 billion euros, 11.1% of export the total, and that Italy exports towards this area a value pairs to the sum of the export towards the United States and China. Single the Southern Italy has an interchange with the area of the Mediterranean South of 12 billion euros. Moreover export the Italian total towards the area of the Mediterranean South is doubled between 2001 and 2014, a greater increase than recorded from Germany and France (69.3% and 49.6%).

With respect to the impact of the doubling of the Suez Canal on the economic relations between Italy and the Mediterranean, the Relationship emphasizes that the 8%-10% of the entire total traffic passes for the Suez Canal, through which in the 2014 they are journeyed 822 million tons of goods and beyond 17.000 ships. Between the 2000 and 2014 traffic of the goods through the Suez Canal it is increased of 120% and in the same period the traffic container North-South has grown of 187% while in the opposite director it is increased of 219%.

Placing the attention on the guiding ones of marine traffic of transit to Suez - the Relationship observes - the increasing role of the Gulf emerges clearly which area of origin of shipments. In fact in the 2014 this area it concentrates 34% of shipments, for a value of 137 million tons, setting itself in second position regarding the Asian south-east, from which in the 2014 correspondents have been goods for 161 million tons.

The analysis of SRM finds moreover that the new inaugurated Suez Canal 6th August allows a reduction of the times of distance that now are estimated in 6-7 hours and carries the medium ability to every day traffic to 97 ships (from the medium precedence of 49). According to esteem of SRM the new channel will be able to carry a medium saving of about the 5-10% of the operating costs totals for each ship in transit (according to the routes and of the distances) being used the route via Suez. According to ulterior analyses of SRM, on the route of the exchanges To make East - East Coast the USA a container volume pairs to about a million teu could be diverted from the carriers from the routes through the channel of Panama hat to that through Suez, passing therefore for the Mediterranean. Therefore, Italy, that it has a market share pairs to 18% of the traffic of transhipment in area MED could be able to only intercept on this route an additional traffic pairs to beyond 170 thousand teu.

The specific Relationship that the doubling of the channel Egyptian will be able to have a particularly important impact for the ports gateway of the Italy North and of the Southern Italy that receives an important quota the traffics via Suez; such value, for example, reaches 51% of the container enlivened to Genoa and 47% to La Spezia and almost 40% to Gioia Tauro.

Moreover the cost reduction of transport, joined to the increment of the ability to the Suez Canal, can have important repercussions is on the hierarchy of the Mediterranean ports is on the traffic volume in transit towards the Mediterranean that in the 2015 attests to 19% of the quota world (in increase regarding 15% of 2005). For the Italian ports, than currently they enliven 460 tons of goods in total - the Relationship emphasizes - the new Suez Canal represents an important opportunity: it in transit put up ships and of greater dimension that - the document specifies - they demand to adapt the infrastructural equipment urgently with the need to dredge the backdrops and to invest in logistics and innovation.

The topics and the cues emerged from the relationship of SRM then are discussed in the round table "Industry, export, logistics, portualità. The challenges for a Southern Italy to the center of the moderated Mediterranean" by Alessandro Barbano, director de "Il Mattino", to which they have participated Antonio Ascari, sales director Maersk Line, Regional Alessandro Laterza, vice president Confindustria Southern Italy and Politiche, Maurizio Massari, ambassador of Italy in Egypt, Pasqualino Monti, president Assoporti, Riccardo Monti, president ICE, Marco Simonetti, vice president Contship Italy, and Marco Zigon, president GETRA Group. The minister of Infrastructures and the Transports has concluded the work, Graziano Delrio.