“The sea economy is a priority for the development of the South, which can act as a lever for the competitiveness and growth of the country.” The blue economy is a reality that Mario Zanetti knows well, in his role as Special Advisor of Confindustria for the Sea Economy, president of Confitarma and CEO of Costa Crociere. “Italy is a manufacturing transformation country, 60% of international trade travels by sea. The goods handled every year in Italian ports exceed 500 million tons and the sea economy is worth 224.9 billion euros. The wealth produced by the supply chain has increased by almost 16%, with a growth rate about 2.5 times the national average.” The sector’s weight is also demonstrated by labor force data: “direct employees are over one million, with an increase in ‘blue’ employment four times that of the total overall. Not only that: every euro generated in the blue economy has a multiplier effect of 1.8 times. The potential for Italy and especially for the South is evident.”
Read more Bankitalia to banks and Post Offices: promote the basic account, free for low-income groups
Ask the Sun
The questions are automatically suggested by 24Ore AI
based on the content viewed.
For the South, overlooking the Mediterranean, great growth opportunities are opening up at this stage, benefiting the whole country. Are we able to seize them?
The Mediterranean represents 1% of the world’s waters and 27% of maritime transport. The southern port system handles between 47% and 50% of the total national maritime traffic. The ports of the South handle 51% of national containers and 52% of Ro-Ro traffic, that is, rubber-container. Added to this is tourism, with cruise traffic reaching almost 20% in the Mediterranean. From these numbers, the role of the South as an industrial platform of the Mediterranean is evident.
Read more Consortium, turnover at 126 million: Italy leads growth with +6% at 34 million
A strategic geographical position: how to make it a real lever of industrial policy?
Geography alone is not enough. The sea economy today must be considered a lever of industrial policy because it affects the resilience of supply chains, energy security, the digitalization of commercial flows, and the ability to retain value along national supply chains. The sea transports not only goods but also energy, data, connectivity, and industrial security. The blue economy becomes a matter of economic sovereignty and technological competitiveness, along with infrastructure and logistics, as Leopoldo Destro highlighted in yesterday’s interview in this newspaper. The South can become a 360-degree hub, an attraction pole for investments, at the center not only of the European Ten-T corridors but also of international corridors, starting with Imec. Here lies the real challenge also in terms of competition with large ports, such as Rotterdam, which alone handles more goods than all Italian ports combined. The goal should not be to compete on port size and cargo volumes, but to build a more efficient and integrated system capable of enhancing Italy’s strategic position in the Mediterranean and creating added value for the territory. We must overcome obstacles and therefore invest not only in ports but also in hinterlands, rail connections, and the last mile. Italy, in fact, is the European country with the best ratio between surface area and coast: for every km of coast there are about 40 square km of territory. It is a unique advantage that must be valued.
Read more Delmastro, the Chamber’s Assembly denies the Prosecutor the acquisition of the chats
