Salerno Container Terminal

Source: Supply Chain Digital

Date :04/01/2008 10:12:08

Owned by the Italian Gallozzi Group, Salerno Container Terminal is set to expand following a major redevelopment project, which will cost in the region of €11 million

Written by Lucy Mowatt and Produced by Mark Skillicorn

With increasing levels of freight using the Salerno Container Terminal, the investments in developing facilities look set to further raise the levels of sea freight in Italian waters. As the last privately owned terminal in Italy, it is looking to the support of its parent group to ensure ongoing progress.

The Gallozzi Group was founded in 1952 when Dr Giuseppe Gallozzi established a shipping company. Since then, the business has developed into a group of companies involved with the shipping industry; Salerno Container Terminal was established in 1977 in order to improve services in the south of Italy and work alongside Gallozzi Shipping. Today, the group includes a transport company, a maintenance and repair company, yacht marinas, a cruise liner operator, a RoRo and breakbulk terminal and also a computer software business, called Esoware.

The company also acquired 30 percent of the shares in the TIN terminal in Nola, roughly half way between Salerno and Naples. The Nola facility is located on the site that houses the Volcana Buona shopping mall, which means a large number of deliveries will reach the port, and it operates using Esoware software. The terminal also has excellent transport links to destinations throughout Italy and has a rail connection to Munich.

Major developments

The substantial development of Salerno Container Terminal will make a significant difference to the amount of containers in the area, and will improve service. The project will involve the construction of a new container and RoRo facility. It has been partly funded by the European Union, the local port authority and private investors and will involve significant construction works.

The development of the new terminal is already underway and will be completed between 2008 and 2009. The project will involve the entrance to the port being widened, meaning that vessels over 300m long, with a 14 metre draft will be able to enter the port. New breakwaters will also be installed in order to protect the environment around the Amalfi Coast, which could be affected by increased traffic in the area.

Other new developments (which will be ready between 2015 and 2020) will be built upon a man-made island in the Port of Salerno and will have a berth two kilometres in length, 500 metres wide and be 17-22 metres deep. This is because the original terminal is in the centre of Salerno and will not be able to cope with more facilities and increased traffic. Access to the island will be granted by a two kilometre bridge. It will even house an area for reefer containers, which can be closely monitored. The volume of cargo handled by the new development will increase from one million teu handled at the moment, to two million teu and create in the region of 10,000 new jobs.

The current facilities are also equipped with the most modern technology. SCT has purchased twelve multi-trailer trains from Houcon, five new CVS/Ferrari tractors for those trains, and five Smits spreaders. Frans Jol, Managing Director of SCT says, “We are the first terminal in the world to use five Gottwald mobile cranes and Houcon Multitrailers with special steering gear and a turning circle of less than five metres. These machines, together with our Smits twinlift spreaders, give us the ability to load and discharge containers directly from the vessel onto trailers, enabling us to handle three trailers, or six teu, at once.” This saves a lot of time for the company and its customers, meaning that products are distributed more efficiently.

New customers

This increased efficiency has been recognised by the Turkish Company, Turkon Line. The company, which is owned by the Kasif Kalkavan Group, announced in November 2007 that it intends to use Salerno Container Terminal to transport goods to the US. The reason behind the move was the improved journey time. Its vessels, which reach 1200 teu, can make their way to New York, Savannah or Norfolk in ten days from Salerno.

The terminal handles 68 percent export containers and 32 percent import containers, which differs to the port in Naples, which handles at least 50 percent of transhipment contracts, 40 imports and ten percent export. As such, the two ports differ and this will help SCT to recover, following the mergers of Maersk and P&O NLL and that of Hapag Lloyd and CP Ships, because it will offer quicker, more specialised services.

Salerno Container Terminal will also be kitted out with the latest in computer software, which will make using the port easier. It will be the first port in the world to use RFNet equipment created by the American company Savi Technology. This development is capable of recognising the electronic seals on containers being moved through the port, making movement simpler.

A container tracking service is also available for customers. The online system enables customers to view the progress of their shipment with E-Terminal programming. This has been developed by Esoware in collaboration with COPAS, a software developer in Rotterdam.

Covering the needs of the shipping industry

Esoware is the group’s software arm and is currently working on a range of projects, both in Italy and in Europe. It is working with TIN in Nola, Est in Palermo and Catania, Sintermar in Leghorn, RTC in Civitavecchia and Terminal San Giorgio in Genoa and offers programs that handle products and monitor container movement as well as manage invoicing and gate control.

There are plans to expand this offering throughout the system and launch an automatic gate system on the market in 2008. This program is not only capable of recognising containers but also the trucks that these are being transported on, which not only improves the speed of the process, but also security across sites.

Security is essential at all port sites, which is why there are a number of systems in place across the ports. Salerno Container Terminal has a visual security system and operates video systems and CCTV. As well as this, the company has security teams operating 24 hours a day, which means that the site is secure and approved under the US Container Security Initiative programme.

In December 2007 the company also established a freight forwarding company in China, which will offer freight services into and out of the country. In 2008 this will be accompanied by expansion with another two offices in Guangzhou and Tianjin. GF Logistics also plans to open offices in Istanbul and Dubai in 2008 and 2009.

The Salerno Container Service is also able to carry out any maintenance work on containers made from a range of materials while they are at the terminal. The company is able to offer repairs of steel, aluminium, fibre, boxes and reefers, while also being able to clean the containers.

The three yacht marinas which the Gallozzi Group owns, Marina D’Arechi, Marina Di Tropea and Marina Di Lapari, all have maintenance and repair services too, which the group feels is essential to its service offering. These marinas also have bars, restaurants and shops, and Marina D’Arechi , which will be finalised in 2011, will have space to house 1000 yachts.

With a group of companies to support new developments at Salerno Container Terminal, it seems that Gallozzi Group is able to meet all of its customer needs in an efficient and cost effective manner and remain the only private owner of a container terminal in Italy.