Assarmatori, the companies of ferries are near the point of no return and do not have to be taken emergency measures



Also in Italy, than however it is the hit nation more from the Covid-19 virus, the navigation companies that operate services ferry are to the extreme for the impact on their activity of the restrictions to the travels and tourism. "We are - the president of Assarmatori has informed, Stefano Messina - near the point of no return. They must be necessarily taken the emergency measures that the shipowners are demanding urgently - it has emphasized Messina - or not will be other alternative to the block of the operated national connections from the ferries. Not a lock out, but the unavoidable landing place of the general collapse of that which up to now it represents a world-wide excellence in our Country, Italy with 350 ships has the greatest fleet than ships ro-ro pax to the world, but from when the situation is exploded the Covid-19 epidemic it is made indefensible".

In order to clarify to all which it is the dramatic crisis to which the section goes encounter quickly, the president of Assarmatori has explained that, "making he compares with the results of the averages of the last years, the operating shipowning companies in this field in the last month have embedded about fifty times (fifth has less not emphasized - but own 50 times less). For effect of the restrictions to mobility, in fact, the ferries cannot more embark passengers if not for most limited cases of proven urgency, but the uncertainty on the future has completely annulled also the reservations, from these days until the next months, those which in spring and above all in summer assure the indispensable cash flow to the estate of the accounts and the business continuity; the fleeting companies that guarantee the transport, in fact - it has clarified Messina - have a Gross Operating Margin structurally negative from October to March, then between the spring and the summer they embed how much serves in order to bring back the accounts in balance. With turnover and proceeds near zero and affecting costs - Messina has denounced - however not is possible to survive and if it is wanted to be avoided that the Freeways of the Sea interrupt every service, than the greater and smaller islands, where weevers fifth of the Italian population lose the contact with the remainder of the Country, than the vital transport of goods it is blocked, than tens of thousands of marine ones they lose the job, must afford to these companies to survive".

"It must therefore - it has continued the president of Assarmatori - beginning from activate also for the marine field all the consequent measures the immediate balancing of the services of connection with the islands to those considered airplane of public service, with the extension to first of the benefits guaranteed to the second ones from article 79 of I decree Italy Cure. It will then be necessary - it has specified Messina - to guarantee to our enterprises the access to the previewed mechanisms of guarantee from art. the 57 of the same one I decree, supervising so that the credit institutions adopt, with as much urgency, the procedures times to the distribution of the financings".

"Also this measure, but - it has specified moreover Messina - alone cannot be enough. There is also need to institute a bottom of compensation for the damages endured from the companies that exercise marine services of transport of cabotage and connection with the islands and to integrate with governmental capitals the Solimare bottom that has up to now guaranteed, with the single direct financing of the enterprises and the workers, the support to the marine ones without job, but whose resources are now insufficient in order to support an emergency of such capacity".

"Even Greece, Country that has still not exited completely from serious the default that has hit it ten years ago - it has concluded the president of Assarmatori - has decided to assign to the marine field an important part of the resources put in field against the epidemic. Italy does not make the fatal error not to understand the gravity of the moment".