Venice, 10 July 2024- After an 18-month long process, the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, the Commissioner for Cruises in Venice and APV Investimenti S.p.A. – AdSPMAS’ in-house company – have signed a preliminary contract to purchase the area of interest from Società Intermodale Marghera S.R. L.. The site includes the northern bank of the North Canal and stretches over 10 hectares, including some built-up areas that have been identified by the Government (under Law Decree 103/2021 and subsequent implementing decrees) as the future passenger terminal building. The site will include all required ancillary services and two temporary berths for passenger ships up to 300 metres. The land is identified as pertaining to the so-called macro-island 1 of Porto Marghera’s industrial zone, and the purchase price amounts to some 16 million Euros.
Based on the terms of the contract, the three parties involved – AdSPMAS, the Commissioner for Cruises in Venice and APVI – shall purchase a section of a larger parcel of land owned by the company held by Marco Salmini, for the implementation of projects specific to their corporate scopes.
The technical-economic feasibility assessment and project on the section of the site that the Cruise Commissioner has earmarked for the New Cruise Terminal has already been completed and envisages the construction of two berths for ships up to 300 metres. The first stage will be ready for the 2027 cruise season: the area will be equipped with two berths following the example of the temporary berths that are already operational and that were built by the Venice Cruise Commissioner in 2022 in compliance with DL 103/2021, calling for a new model for the cruise industry in Venice. The new passenger terminal is also expected to be operational for the 2028 cruise season. The future cruise terminal building will be on two storeys for a total area of about 12,000 square metres and will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to produce energy from renewable sources. The terminal will also include dedicated arrivals and baggage reclaim facilities that will serve the two ships docked in the new berths. Embankment works are also scheduled to secure the environmental safety of the area, thus consolidating the section that was previously built by the Public Works Department. Final interventions will include setting up dedicated areas to be used for customs controls, with annexed offices reserved for law enforcement and border control agencies, a sheltered pedestrian pathway and dedicated roadways for heavy vehicles serving ships. The estimated outlay for this project stage is more than 67 million Euros.
Based on the feasibility study results, from Monday 15 July CIOOMM (Consorzio Ingegneria Opere Marittime) will start work on the final design and environmental impact assessment for the first and second berths and for the passenger terminal (including surveys and other studies), on the executive project, works management, safety coordination during the design phase, and safety coordination during execution. This part of the contact is worth over 5.2 million Euros.
Within the strategy aimed at reducing air emissions by enhancing cold ironing, the Authority has recently appointed NBI S.p.A.- Webuild Group to supply and install cable ducts and set up the dock electrification systems that will power cruise ships docked at the two temporary berths. This contract is worth 18.5 million Euros. This part of the infrastructure will be completed in 2026 and is financed through the Next Generation Europe fund. National resilience and regeneration funds allocated to the North Canal amount to 29 million Euros and add to the 23.6 million Euros earmarked for the Marittima area to cater for smaller cruise ships for a total of 52.6 million Euros.
According to the plans, an area of about 40,000 square metres has been identified for use as a car park, mainly to serve cruise activities: this intervention will be implemented by APVI as instructed by ADSPMAS.
‘By implementing Decree 103/2021, we are writing the future of sustainable cruising in Venice,’ declared Fulvio Lino Di Blasio, Special Commissioner for Cruises in Venice and President of AdSPMAS. ‘The purchase of this land has secured a sound basis on which we can build a long-term plan for passenger management and also boost employment in the port. From today forward, this industry is linked to Porto Marghera and above all to the Northern Industrial Canal as has been established by the government, supported by the Veneto Region. The contract for cold ironing is a milestone, as is the start of the final design of the two berths and the future passenger terminal: they prove, once again, that we are gradually achieving the implementation of the projects envisaged in the commissioner’s programme for this area. In the meantime, in full compliance with the procedures, the competition for ideas is proceeding as is the technical-economic feasibility study and environmental impact assessment for the maintenance dredging of the Vittorio Emanuele Canal. As early as October this year, we expect the latter to undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment and an Assessment of Environmental Implications’.