MSC Cruises has applied for a concession to obtain the cruise terminal of the port of Ancona and an area of the quay 15, as well as to build a cruise terminal on the new quayside of the Clementino pier that will be built by the Port System Authority of the Adriatic Sea Central.

The application is for a concession of the total duration of 25 years, a period divided into two phases. The Port Authority announced that The first, transitional phase, starting from 2022 relates to the cruise terminal and a state-owned area of about 3,630 meters squares at quay 15. This was until the realization, by Port System Authority, the quayside of the external front of the Clementino pier, as indicated by the Management in July 2019 ( of 24 July 2019), which is expected to take place within five years once the localized variant procedures subjected to all the a series of environmental and feasibility checks by of the competent authorities.

The port authority specified that, when fully operational, the traffic of the estimated passengers at the Clementino pier will be about 350-400 thousand cruise passengers per year relating to the duration of a season assuming the arrival of one ship per day in the period of maximum traffic.

Once the new quay at the Clementino pier was built, the concession requested by MSC Cruises will cover an area of about 7,400 square meters for the construction of a terminal intended for cruise traffic which would be borne by the MSC itself also for the design phase.

The Port Authority recalled that since the publication of the request presented by the cruise company, also in Europe, the interested parties will have 60 days to submit any competing questions, observations or oppositions.

"The request for concession - explained the secretary General of the Port System Authority, Matteo Paroli - is the initiation of a complex administrative procedure that the structure AdSP will manage, as always, in a professional manner. An initiative of an important company that represents a great opportunities for the port".

"One of the largest companies in the world - underlined the president of the port authority, Rodolfo Giampieri - formalizes concrete proposals for the port of Ancona. One thing that fills with satisfaction because it crowns years of commitment to all to consolidate the leading role of the airport in a scenario international with a municipal administration that was always convinced of the by our side. Now there will be a publication in the field to give maximum dissemination and transparency to the request. It is a legacy that we gladly cede to President Africano and to the new governance of the Port Network Authority that will be able to make all the necessary evaluations and strategic choices that they deem appropriate".

In 2019, the last pre-pandemic season, cruise passengers in the port of Ancona recorded a record growth: 100,109, with an increase of +49% on 2018 when there were 67,031, out of an annual total of 1,189,441 passengers.