The West Sicily Gate newco Gate of MSC and Costa will manage the crucieristic approvers of western Sicily



For the management of the crucieristic approvers of ports administered by the Port Authority of the Port of the West of Sicily (Palermo, Imerese Terms, Trapani and Porto Empedocle), activities of the 30-year life that have been awarded in the end 2019 ( of the November 22 2019), the cruise companies MSC Cruises and Costa Crociere have set up the joint venture company West Sicily Gate, a newco that was presented in Palermo today.

At West Sicily Gate Srl the AdSP of Western Sicily has granted : in the port of Palermo, in exclusive use, the quay Crispi, the Pier Vittorio Veneto and the quay Sammuzzo, the adjacent areas and the pertinences belonging to the maritime demander ; in the port of Trapani, in non-exclusive use, the Garibaldi quay, the adjacent areas and the premises of the maritime station belonging to the maritime demander, the non-exclusive use will continue until it is realized by the AdSP the molo a T that will be destined for the exclusive accost by the grantee ; in the port of Termini Imerese, in use not exclusive, the Veniero quay and adjacent areas belonging to the maritime demander ; in the port of Porto Empedocle, in non-exclusive use, the Todaro quay and the adjacent areas belonging to the maritime demander.

Commenting on the direct commitment of MSC and Costa to the ports of western Sicily, the president of the AdSP, Pasqualino Monti, said that despite the Covid, from the first of January 2022, there will be 176 of the planned attractships of Costa and MSC ships on a total of 226 touched in the inclusive ports of the other companies as well. "The aim is to triple the number of the Cruserists in the coming years compared to 2018, when we have challenged the 600mila units, making our scars a mix of modernity in service delivery," Monti said in a statement. excellence in the scope of reception. In order for the West Sicily Gate to carry out the ambitious projects that have been set up and that concern not only the increase of passengers but also the commitment to our ports to become home ports, he added, " the company said. that additional induced passenger consisting of passengers who reach the city by plane and who here spend a few days before embarking on the start of the cruise. "

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, stressed that this is a highly strategic initiative, which, among other things, will equip the city of Palermo of a renovated, innovative and functional cruise terminal thanks to the significant intervention operated by the Portugale System Authority. " The new terminal will foster a further increase in the number of tourists arriving in the Sicilian capital, a city in which the MSC group has been operating for more than 20 years, including in the cargo and ferry sector, and represents the first player in the shipping industry. Thanks to this new initiative, Palermo and the scars connected to it as Trapani and Porto Empedocle, are destined to become one of the main hubs of MSC in the Mediterranean, also in view of the new ships of the luxury cruise segment-with the brand Explora Journeys, created for the new and most demanding generation of luxury travelers-whose first unit will take service in 2023. "Next year, we expect to touch Palermo with our most modern and advanced technological and environmental ships, in line with our commitment to the environment and the port and coastal communities," Vago said. visited by our guests ".