Tenders will 'soon' be invited for the construction of a new container terminal for the Italian port of Naples. In what has been termed “a major step...to build a significant presence in the regional container trade”, the Terminal di Levante project would boost the port's handling capacity past one million TEUs.
According to Naples port president Francesco Nerli, the project would take some 30 months to complete although reports have quoted some sources saying that it was likely to take “considerably longer.”
The construction's first stage has been scheduled to dredge sediment from existing channels to fill a basin close to the Conateco terminal.
This move will create new berth and yard space that will cost about $220 million out of a total projected investment of $587 million.
Nerli said that the bidding process would begin soon partly because of the “unusual speed” with which environment minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio and vice-premier Francesco Rutelli signed off on the project's environmental approvals.
Pasquale Legora de Feo, managing director of the MSC/COSCO joint venture Conateco, has been quoted by Lloyd's List saying that “he will be happy to take over the new space by 2013.”
Conateco runs Naples' existing container terminal and is slated to run Terminal de Levante under a 50-year concession.
Recent data showed that Conateco handled some 460,000 TEUs last year, which reports say is a 'meagre' 3.5% rise from 2006 volumes.
According to de Feo, the lack of efficient rail systems is an 'active restraint' to further growth.
According to Naples port president Francesco Nerli, the project would take some 30 months to complete although reports have quoted some sources saying that it was likely to take “considerably longer.”
The construction's first stage has been scheduled to dredge sediment from existing channels to fill a basin close to the Conateco terminal.
This move will create new berth and yard space that will cost about $220 million out of a total projected investment of $587 million.
Nerli said that the bidding process would begin soon partly because of the “unusual speed” with which environment minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio and vice-premier Francesco Rutelli signed off on the project's environmental approvals.
Pasquale Legora de Feo, managing director of the MSC/COSCO joint venture Conateco, has been quoted by Lloyd's List saying that “he will be happy to take over the new space by 2013.”
Conateco runs Naples' existing container terminal and is slated to run Terminal de Levante under a 50-year concession.
Recent data showed that Conateco handled some 460,000 TEUs last year, which reports say is a 'meagre' 3.5% rise from 2006 volumes.
According to de Feo, the lack of efficient rail systems is an 'active restraint' to further growth.