Energy transition, Messina:“The fuel to focus on is LNG”

The president of Assarmatori invites the Government to follow the category's line and implement a simplification sprint to defend the competitiveness of the Italian flag

ROME - "Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the fuel to focus on to accompany shipping in the energy transition and with its large-scale use we can already contribute to achieving the objectives imposed by the European Union. The Government must follow us on this path".
To chart the course on the controversial topic of decarbonisation of maritime transport it was today Stefano Messina, president of Assarmatori, the Association belonging to Conftrasporto-Confcommercio which brings together Italian, European and third country shipowners who operate regularly in Italy, opening the 2024 Annual Meeting, which was held in Rome in the presence, among others, of the Minister of Transport and of Infrastructure and vice-president of the Council, Matteo Salvini, and of the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci.

THE OWNERS' REQUEST

“The concept of technological neutrality, i.e. a catalog of alternative fuels available in each airport– underlined Messina – it is not reasonably applicable to Italian ports;ports set within an urban fabric that makes the presence of a whole range of depots for refueling ships unthinkable.The identification of which fuel is chosen must take place at sea, because only shipowners have all the parameters, including technological capabilities and investment awareness, essential for making choices. We therefore ask the Government to set up a review table to define the needs of shipping companies and on the basis of these open a concrete discussion with the European Commission:this is a topic of extraordinary importance especially for proximity traffic, i.e. those linked to the presence of distribution systems in the main ports in Italy and the Mediterranean.The future of local maritime public transport, the Motorways of the Sea, cruise traffic and connections with the islands, all markets in which Italy occupies a leading position, depends on the choices that will be made regarding the availability of alternative fuels that will be used by these units".

THE CENTRALITY OF THE GAS MARKET

The issue of gas supplies is also of great importance for the Italian industry, especially in light of the strong geopolitical tensions affecting Eastern Europe and the Middle East;during the Assarmatori Annual Meeting, President Messina reiterated the strategic centrality of the gas market:“In 2023 - he said - Italian gas imports via pipeline decreased by 22.51% compared to 2022;in the same period of time, imports of gas in liquid state, by ship, increased by over 16%.A clear trend, which further consolidated in the first six months of 2024. I am sure that at the end of the year, when we have the definitive numbers, we will record further growth in supply which occurs precisely thanks to maritime transport, demonstrating unequivocally the importance of this asset for our country."

THE FLAGGING OUT OF ITALIAN OWNERS

Messina intervened again on flagging out, i.e. the phenomenon which sees a growing number of ships armed by Italian owners change flag and abandon the national one:“It's worth reiterating once again: shipowners do not choose to change the flag by replacing it on their ships with a flag of convenience;it's not like this:what they are looking for, and which they often even find in registers of Member States of the European Union, it is less bureaucracy, which translates into efficiency, speed, lower running costs with the same safety and certifications.However, I want to give credit to the Government, to the members of Parliament, to the leaders of the various administrations, because a lot has been done in recent months:we ask you not to give up and to bring home the result to defend the competitiveness of the Italian flag.Our hope is that next year we will be able to talk about the rules that remain to be refined with new provisions.There is a lot to do, but a compact cluster with indisputable professional skills will be crucial."

TOWARDS THE NEW COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT OF THE SECTOR

In his report, Messina also announced that the renewal of the sector's National Collective Labor Agreement, which expired on December 31st, has now been concluded:“We appreciated, albeit with moments of natural conflict, the realistic and collaborative spirit with which the trade union organizations decided to approach the negotiation from the beginning - explained the president of Assarmatori - Within our sector we don't talk about unemployment, minimum wage, irregular work, we talk more and more about professionalization and new skills, training and, last but not least, increased wages, corporate welfare, healthcare, supplementary pensions of second-level bargaining".

THE ASSEMBLERS AWARD TO THE NAVY

The 2024 Assarmatori Award, traditional recognition given by the shipowners' association, it went to the women and men of the Italian Navy, for their commitment to protecting freedom of navigation and Italy's interests in the seas around the world and in particular for the work within the Aspides mission, in the Red Sea, in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb and in the Gulf of Aden, where the ships are targeted by Houthi attacks.

The Association's Annual Meeting was also animated by a round table attended by Chris Bonett, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works of Malta, Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Giuseppe Ricci, Chief Operating Officer Energy Evolution ENI, Ugo Salerno, executive president of RINA and Soren Toft, CEO of MSC.An international panel, moderated by the General Secretary of Assarmatori, Alberto Rossi, during which a Mediterranean identity for Europe was invoked, the main theme of the Assembly:the ports overlooking the 'mare nostrum' have different characteristics and needs compared to those of the Northern Range, an aspect that cannot be ignored in the legislative processes of the European Union.