Appeal to support the Italian maritime sector

Italy’s ports remain open, but the effect of the coronavirus lockdown is being felt across the shipping sector. Trade groups have called for urgent action to guarantee ship operations

Shipping groups call for government help to support industrial output

ITALIAN SHIPPING IS UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

THREE of the key trade associations representing the Italian maritime sector have written a letter highlighting the increasing stress the sector is under as a result of the nationwide lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Assarmatori, Confitarma and Federagenti have asked infrastructure and transport, foreign affairs and health ministers for urgent interventions for the maritime transport sector to limit the negative impact.

“Along with the entire production world, the shipping industry is watching with apprehension the evolution of the serious coronavirus emergency, and the impact that this situation is having and will continue to have on the Italian socio-economic system,” the trade bodies wrote.

“Given the numerous problems concerning maritime transport, it is urgent to find adequate solutions to guarantee the operation of the ships and the regularity of the traffic.”

The letter provides a list of the most critical issues that the sector has been experiencing at an operational level since the adoption of the first extraordinary measures adopted by the government and which, as the crisis progressed, have become more stringent.

These includes:

• the closure of foreign ports to Italian ships
• the risk of marginalisation of Italy from the world’s supply routes
• the impossibility of changing crews
• the expiration of certificates of Italian seafarers
• the impossibility of carrying out health inspections
• the renewal of certificates, technical-health visits, boarding procedures on Italian territory, affecting passenger ships and coastal shipping
• the ban on disembarking from cruiseships in ports.

The letter called on ministers establish an urgent review of the impact on the sector and a roundtable with the administrations involved.

Based on the latest data, we estimate that Italy moved almost $1trn of goods in 2019, of which around 44% was cross-border trade the European Union markets.

In the containership sector, we estimate that in 2019 the Italian ports moved more than 4m teu by sea with the main commodities being those in Table 1.

The reduction in the normal activity in the container shipping sector will impact immediately industries moving perishable goods, as well as the supply chain for sectors depending on raw materials and parts.

This is at a time when the Italian economy needs to continue to maintain, as far as it can, its productive capacity.