The activity of the port of Gioia Tauro revolves around the container traffic, as well as car traffic. Trades which could be affected, at least in part, by the construction of the Bridge over the Strait of Messina. A signal of Concern about this possibility has been sent in recent days by the president of Federlogistica, Luigi Merlo, who is a director of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the shipowning group that through the Terminal Investment Limited operates the Medcenter Container Terminal, the only large Terminal for containers of the Calabrian port of call.

Merlo had warned of the need for the Bridge over the Strait has a height above sea level that allows the Transit of large ships ( of 23 February 2023). The specific decree to reactivate the procedure of construction of the bridge was approved last 16 March by the Council of Ministers and, according to the most recent data confirmed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, The technical project would include 65 meters of channel height waterway central for the transit of large ships, height not deemed sufficient by Federlogistica.

To those who pointed out these concerns on Monday. MIT Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi cut short by stating whereas the Strait of Messina is not the only maritime access to the Tyrrhenian Sea and highlighted, while reporting inaccurate data, that others Bridges in the region have lower heights ( of 4 April 2023). As if to say, the project is done and remains so how it is. If larger ships, e.g. coming from the Suez Canal, want to enter the Tyrrhenian Sea - it is the implied - can pass through the Strait of Sicily.

Now this solution, which has already alarmed MSC probably completely opposed to its container ships must circumnavigate Sicily to reach the port of Gioia Tauro, has certainly also aroused the concern of the top management dell'Autorità di Sistema Portuale dei Mari Tirreno Southern and Ionian, which manages the Calabrian port of call.

A concern that concerns not only the future of the traffic of containers and cars in the port of Gioia Tauro, but also of those activities that are related to the flow of ships that They arrive and depart from the airport. Among these, that of repair and maintenance of ships that call the Calabrian port. With regard to this type of activity, the Harbour system has highlighted the excellent performance obtained by the Neapolitan La Nuova Meccanica Navale, operating in the port of Gioia Tauro from 2022, which from January to December led to term 72 orders that generated over 14,500 man-hours of work, of which 32% worked with internal company staff, while the remaining part with local workforce. The AdSP has specified that, in percentage terms, 67% of these jobs were focused on carpentry activities, 12% on mechanical work, 9% to solve mechanical emergencies, while the remaining part offered painting services (5%), insulation (3%) and miscellaneous works (4%). "It is, therefore," he said. highlighted the port authority - of an activity intended to growth that, according to the ever-growing volumes, could generate a constant presence of the company La Nuova Naval mechanics in Gioia Tauro. Committed to a development plan gradual and timed, it would offer a broad portfolio of Processing. Among these, those of broader maintenance radius that, due to logistical difficulties, at the moment are not carried out but which, thanks to a constant presence of La Nuova Naval mechanics, would thus be implemented and organize." Provided that, it would be added by interpreting the fears of MSC, the new bridge over the Strait of Messina does not adversely affects the development and growth of vessel traffic in the port of Gioia Tauro.