The new management committee of the port system authority of the southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas was officially established today in Gioia Tauro, meeting following the appointment of president Paolo Piacenza as head of the body. The new Management Committee, in addition to President Piacenza, is made up of Rear Admiral Giuseppe Sciarrone, maritime director of Calabria and Tyrrhenian Lucania, the engineer Massimo Galante, designated by the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, and the lawyer Natale Polimeni, designated by the Municipality of Gioia Tauro.
«Today our journey officially begins – said Paolo Piacenza introducing the work – which I face with great enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility. An important phase begins, in which we will be called to work on strategic issues for the growth of the port system, with the aim of strengthening investments, supporting employment and increasing traffic”. The president also highlighted the central role of the organisation’s planning and management function, «which will be oriented towards enhancing the peculiarities of the individual ports, different in vocation and characteristics, but united in an integrated port system».
«The establishment of the Management Committee – concluded the president of the Port System Authority of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas – therefore represents the concrete beginning of a new operational phase, based on institutional collaboration and the definition of common strategies for the growth and competitiveness of the entire port system». Among the points on the agenda, the ratification of the emergency change to the 2025 budget forecast was unanimously voted, which established, among the items of the financial document, the outgoing destination of the reimbursement of anchoring fees for the year 2025. Through the use of the organisation’s own funds, deriving from increased revenues, the reduction of taxes was arranged for a total amount of 1.5 million euros.
The objective is to offer support for the development of the ports that fall within its constituency (Gioia Tauro, Corigliano Calabro, Crotone, Vibo Marina and Taureana di Palmi). With reference to the year 2025, shipping companies, shipping lines or consortia that carry out goods transport activities in relation to their type of traffic will be able to benefit from it. Subsequently, the Management Committee proceeded to examine the opinions provided by the Body regarding the 18 applications for state maritime concessions, relating to the five ports of competence, which were approved unanimously by those entitled to vote. With specific reference to the company Meridionali Petroli, as manager of the coastal deposit of petroleum products in the port of Vibo Valentia Marina, the act of submission and early occupation for a four-year duration was also unanimously approved, pursuant to and for the purposes of article 38 of the Navigation Code and article 35 of the related implementing regulation.