It is no longer just an institutional confrontation, but a real “j’accuse” launched by Meridionale Petroli against the municipal administration of Vibo led by mayor Romeo. With a very harsh statement released today, Friday 3 April, the company breaks the silence to “re-establish the truth of the facts”, denying point by point the mayor’s recent declarations on the alleged relocation of the Vibo Marina coastal depot.
The “mystery” of the Memorandum of Understanding
According to the company, the much-vaunted Memorandum of Understanding that the Mayor presented as an achieved goal would, in reality, be a document devoid of substance. “A mere twelve-page draft, not editable and without binding content”, attacks the company, underlining how the Municipality has not yet provided feedback to the fully revised version sent by Meridionale Petroli last March 16th.
The unresolved issues: areas, funds and guarantees are missing
The heart of the dispute concerns the technical and economic feasibility of the operation. The company reports the results of the meeting on January 30, during which a very different picture emerged from that narrated by the institutions:
Non-existent areas: No suitable areas would have been identified. Even the owners of the area indicated as an alternative reportedly declared that they could not certify its suitability.
Phantom funds: Despite the announcements of alleged public funding, ministerial representatives would have clarified that, at the moment, there is no allocation.
Huge costs: The construction of a new depot would require investments in excess of 100 million euros, figures that make the infrastructural interventions cited by the Municipality “extremely limited and inadequate”.
The shadow of the 12 thousand euro “Third Subject”.
The most detailed attack concerns a mysterious private operator who, according to the Municipality, is ready to take over, relocate and even upgrade the plant with an off-shore buoy. Meridionale Petroli raises very serious doubts about the solidity of this entity:
“Based on public data from 2023, this entity has a turnover of approximately 12,000 euros and a profit of zero. How can such an operator guarantee an investment of one hundred million, the safety of the plants and the protection of workers?”
Employment alarm and energy security
The company does not hide its concern about the climate of uncertainty generated by municipal communications, which would risk destabilizing a strategic industrial presence for the entire region. “Every uncertainty has a name, a face and a family”, writes the company, claiming its role in protecting jobs and the energy continuity of the territory.
The challenge of public discussion
Meridionale Petroli closes the note with an open challenge: the availability for a public and transparent discussion in the appropriate forums, where every statement can be verified through official documents. The ball now passes to Palazzo Luigi Razza: the community of Vibo Marina awaits answers that go beyond social announcements, seeking certainties about a future that involves hundreds of workers and the economy of the entire province