Social and environmental sustainability and resilience have now become crucial factors for measuring a port or a port network’s competitiveness. The underlying concept is that these factors cannot constitute a real competitive advantage without tangible support from port companies and port operators.
Today,at Livorno Old Fortress’ Sala Ferretti conference hall, the Port Network Authority (PNA) brought together port operators, institutions and the port community to discuss the Sustainability Report’s update. The Report was first drawn up in 2022.
The event was not just a simple seminar. It was a genuine constructive dialogue with stakeholders to share and jointly validate the North Tyrrhenian Port Network’s sustainable development priorities.
PNA president, Davide Gariglio, opened the meeting highlighting the strategic importance of an approach that puts people and their active participation in the decision-making processes of an institution like the Port Network Authority, at the forefront, as “it’s not a private company, but part of the State and the expression of a community.”
“The PNA” said Gariglio,“only makes sense if it has the support of terminal operators, technical-nautical services, port companies and Services of General Interest. I would like engaged dialogue to be a method used consistently and continuously in all areas of the Authority’s operations.”
This is also why Mr.Gariglio wanted to announce the ‘Stati Generali dei Porti’ (General Assembly of North Tyrrhenian Network Ports). This initiative stems from an awareness that the economic resources currently available to meet all the infrastructure modernization needs of the ports in the network are insufficient: “We want to get everyone sitting down around the table and discuss the priorities that will define the PNA’s operational strategies for the next four years,” he explained, emphasising how this afternoon’s event is therefore in line with this way of operating and the idea “that we have a duty to leave our children a world that is as good as possible, better than the one we inherited from our fathers.”
During the seminar, Prof. Giovanni Satta from the University of Genoa highlighted the pioneering role played by Livorno’s Port Authority: “In drawing up the Sustainability Report, the Port Authority’s objective was not to produce yet another accounting document, but to work with the port community to build a long-term vision that will survive the challenges of the current economic scenario,” he said. He stressed how Livorno’s Port Authority was one of the first administrations in Italy to come up with the idea of introducing something that it was not required to do by law: namely, to systematically gather stakeholders’ perceptions on the environmental, social, economic and governance issues most relevant to the future of the port network (Mr. Satta referred to the ESG – Environmental, Social, and Governance – approach that assesses a company’s commitment to sustainability and ethics).
The 2025 Sustainability Report will include a special section on the expected impact of major infrastructure projects, starting with Darsena Europa, which is considered to be a real game changer for the national port system. Mr. Satta sees analysing sustainability scenarios as not merely a rhetorical exercise but an assessment that will affect the future (Darsena Europa is set to be completed in 2030).
The goal is therefore not only to build a functional, efficient transport infrastructure but also a sustainable one, capable of generating positive returns for the local community.
During the meeting, a Resilience Plan draft was also presented. It constitutes an initial systematic reflection on the exposure of port infrastructure to adverse climatic events. The work group from the TIM10 analysis company, coordinated by Mr. Satta himself, assisted port operators and port companies handing out questionnaires for them to complete and guiding them through the main sustainability issues.
The results will be presented and discussed at a dedicated public event to be held next spring, in which the final reports and the recommendations contained therein will be shared and discussed further with the entire port community.
