Intesa Sanpaolo promotes the Italian maritime economy in New York
Intesa Sanpaolo promotes in the United States the strategic role of Italian ports in the Mediterranean, through the Southern Italy Special Economic Zone and the Central North Simplified Logistics Zones, with the aim of attracting foreign investment in the Italian infrastructure system.
To facilitate interaction with US operators, Intesa Sanpaolo coordinated a mission to New York involving Italian and US companies, port system authorities and leading logistics and maritime transport operators.
In fact, the United States is Italy's leading maritime trade partner, with a value of approximately €54.8 billion, of which €42 billion is for exports.
According to analyses by SRM, the Mediterranean continues to be a strategic area for the world economy: it accounts for 20% of global maritime trade, 27% of container routes and 30% of energy traffic (oil and gas).
The value of the maritime economy supply chain in Italy - an analysis by SRM, a research centre associated with Intesa Sanpaolo
The maritime economy, with its supply chain, generates direct added value of €59 billion, involving more than 227,000 companies (as at 2022).
Ports and shipping support Italian maritime imports and exports of almost €340 billion (as at 2023).
In addition:
- in the North, the ports of Liguria (Genoa and La Spezia), Venice and Trieste are the gateway not only to northern Italy, but also to central Europe, serving one of the world's fasting-developing and highest-GDP areas
- in the South, ports are more oriented towards energy and logistics hubs with North Africa and the Mediterranean.
SEZs can stimulate some of an area's main economic indicators: according to estimates by SRM, they can increase exports by up to 4% per year and container port traffic by up to 8.4%, whereas the public resources invested can generate twice as much from private sources.
- Ports and shipping have become strategically important as drivers to influence the economy and generate economic growth.
- Logistics provides support for the globalization of production systems by enabling companies to reach short-, medium- and long-haul markets, making sure that they are able to get goods to customers or procure raw materials promptly and efficiently. They also support tourism with the movement of passengers by both cruises and ferries to major destinations.
- This is why ports in many countries including Italy, are becoming development hubs around which business location areas, incubators and start-ups, experimentation of new technologies, shipbuilding and related sectors are being developed.
- Ports have also become true energy hubs as terminals of pipelines (gas and oil pipelines) and ships transporting energy products (oil, gas and fuels of various kinds). Furthermore, investments in quay electrification (cold ironing), renewable energies (solar, offshore wind) and energy efficiency are increasingly being developed in port systems.
- Huge investments are being made in this sector, both in infrastructure (NRRP) and in digitizing embarkation and disembarkation procedures, customs, ship monitoring and security, so it is a sector that provides great impetus for the development of both infrastructure and ship technologies.
- It is in this context that the SLZs and the single SEZ in Southern Italy will be the drivers for the future development of ports and logistics once fully operational, together with digitization and sustainability.
Intesa Sanpaolo's support for the Italian port system
In support of the development of the Italian maritime economy and port system, Intesa Sanpaolo has already disbursed €6 billion of the total of €10 billion in loans made available for new production facilities, expansion and modernisation of existing facilities, and energy sector investments in the SEZ and SLZs.
In addition, Intesa Sanpaolo provides tools such as:
- Specialised advisory services to support companies in accessing national and international tenders
- Products and services to support strategic supply chain agreements with the main logistics chains in the area, including through the Supply Chain Development Programme
- Promotional activities in the area, through the organisation – with leading logistics companies and port authorities – of physical and virtual events to engage companies/investors and raise awareness of available opportunities, also thanks to the collaboration with SRM – a research centre associated with Intesa Sanpaolo, specialising in maritime transport and logistics
- Partnership agreements with the institutional representatives of the Southern Italy SEZ, the Central and Northern Italy SLZs and the main port authorities, with the aim of fostering the development of local communities.
The mission to New York was organised together with The Propeller International Clubs and SRM, confirming Intesa Sanpaolo's role as an aggregator between business world and public institutions.
This is the first Italian mission to the United States focusing on the SEZ and SLZs, and is only the latest stop of an international roadshow that Intesa Sanpaolo has already taken to Germany, the United Arab Emirates and China to promote Italy’s economy abroad.
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Last updated 7 May 2024 at 15:38:18
