The Port of Ravenna and Emilia Romagna Region to represent Italy at Transport Logistic China (Shanghai, 25th – 27th June 2024)

The port of Ravenna – an international logistics hub situated in northern Italy – will be participating, together with Emilia Romagna region and the City of Ravenna, at Transport Logistic China – the key event for the sector in the Far East area.

In addition to the most important public entities representing the logistics system of the region, the delegation includes SAPIR – the main terminal operator actively involved in the development projects of the port hub, TCR – a company included in SAPIR Group – currently working on a new investment resulting in a new fully automated container terminal, and DP (Dinazzano Po) – a railway and intermodal logistics company operating at the port of Ravenna.

The presence of this public-private partnership at the exhibition stems from a common regional strategy, aimed at developing the intermodal logistics platform by reinforcing its connections to northern Italy and central Europe. At the core of this strategy lies the Port of Ravenna – one of the main ports in Italy, with its traffic totaling 25,5 million tons in 2023.

The Port of Ravenna is not merely of regional relevance and, in addition to northern Italy and Central Europe, it grants access to the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea markets. Today, a series of favorable conditions make it possible to look towards Far East, and in particular China, with a great interest in the opportunities and common development projects that the area has to offer.

The port of Ravenna is also characterized by an extensive multimodal distribution network, thanks to a total of 35km of railway tracks and a wide range of value-added services. The protagonist of this sector is Dinazzano Po – the main railway company operating at the port.

The port is currently undergoing a significant transformation which started with the launch of Ravenna Port Hub project – an effort that aims not only to reinforce and expand its infrastructure but also to attract new operators, with an area as wide as 200 ha to be destined to productive and logistic activities in order to develop the port and its hinterland. Last but not least, a new cutting-edge terminal, a strategic investment by SAPIR Group and TCR, will allow the port of Ravenna to welcome bigger vessels, enabling direct connections with China and Far East. The new terminal will be 14,5 meters in depth and allow for the port operations to be fully automated.

One of the ambitions of the port of Ravenna is to become an energetic hub for Italy and the Mediterranean, thanks to a series of projects underway in the field of renewable energy and sustainable development. Among these, the most significant ones are 1) the AGNES project which involves the construction of an offshore solar and wind farm, 2) the CCS (carbon capture and storage) system which will allow to stock CO2 in abandoned offshore gas deposits, 3) the construction of a regasification plant which will provide the national grid with 5 billion cubic meters of methane gas per year, covering 8% of the country’s needs and 4) the creation of a solar park of 43,5 ha by the Port Authority.

The abovementioned innovations are meant to meet the needs of the global market where speed, efficiency and sustainability can make or break the competitive advantage. The increase in vessel size and sustainability will make it possible to attract investments, leading to sustainable economic development in the area.

The direct connection with China and Far East will strengthen the existing trade relations between the regions, facilitating import and export of goods and raw materials. This will not only offer an advantage to Italian enterprises in accessing Asian markets, but will also make Italy the primary gateway for the goods directed to Europe.

For the entire duration of the exhibition, the Italian delegation will be more than happy to welcome at its stand (W4.349) institutional representatives, logistic operators, freight forwarders, shipping companies and enterprises interested in development projects at the port of Ravenna and in opportunities for collaboration between the two regions.