The Aponte group, with Neri and Lorenzini, requests an updated timeline from the Port Authority. But other competitors besides Grimaldi remain possible
Livorno – A new step forward for Msc towards the Darsena Europa in Livorno. The Geneva-based company wrote in recent days to the Port System Authority and the commissioner structure to request an updated timeline for the project, whose delivery is expected by the autumn of 2030. The response arrived yesterday morning from the offices of Palazzo Rosciano.
This is the first direct contact from Msc – through Til, the subsidiary that manages over 70 terminals worldwide – after the expression of interest presented in January together with the Neri group and Lorenzini & C. The joint project could be worth over 400 million euros, to be added to the 550 million already planned from the public share.
The move is considered the step immediately preceding the formal submission of the concession application, which is now expected shortly. Meanwhile, the application presented in April by Grimaldi, via Tdt, to obtain a part of the Darsena Europa in exchange for areas and quays in the Darsena Toscana remains on the table. Msc had contested the proposal, deeming it inadmissible because it would have fragmented the uniqueness of the original full-container terminal project.
Despite the duel between Msc and Grimaldi, the port does not rule out interest from other major global players like Maersk, Cma Cgm and Hapag-Lloyd, the latter already a partner of Grimaldi for container traffic in Tdt. The coming weeks will clarify who will officially enter the field for the seaward expansion of the main Tuscan port.
