After the successful testing phase that took place in recent weeks, the rail link between the docks of the Vecon-PSA Venice Terminal in Marghera and the intermodal terminal of Montirone near Brescia – one of the main nodes along which the MIS Group has developed the services it offers as MTO (Multimodal Transport Operator) – is now fully operational. The train is made up of 23 sixty-foot wagons with a loading capacity of 46 containers.
This new opportunity has started with an initial schedule of 50 round-trip trains per year and is strongly supported by all stakeholders, who are committed to increasing the frequency of the service: this will be achieved by intercepting additional containerised cargo that needs reliable and fast connections not only to what is considered one of the most important economic clusters in Northern Italy but also beyond. The latter will be assured by the current connection linking Montirone and Rotterdam, also operated by the MIS group with SBB traction, whereby customers will be able to extend their target market right up to Benelux and the UK, while saving time and reducing CO2 emissions if compared to the transit time of services to and from the East that pass through Suez and Gibraltar to reach their final destinations in Northern Europe, the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. For traffic calling at Montirone and international traffic alike, MIS offers last-mile transportation services provided through a proprietary fleet that includes more than 140 trucks and over 160 semi-trailers. The trucks in the fleet are on average less than 3 years old and drivers are directly contracted by MIS.
“Our aim is to be at our customers’ side in each stage of their multi-modal transfer projects and to improve performance in terms of sustainability by leveraging the skills and assets that we have built up over time and that we wish to further develop to benefit a supply chain that will thus be able to rely on regular and competitive rail transport,” is the statement made by Paolo Magli, President of MIS Group. “We are grateful to GME Metals for its trust and are confident that by partnering with Vecon-PSA Venice we will be able to further develop the frequency of the service by intercepting additional containerised cargo volumes, thus extending the port of Venice’s outreach.”
“We have worked with MIS, our logistics partner for years, to develop the idea of rail transport: we believe that environmental sustainability has become a priority that must drive us all to review production and logistics processes. GME Metals has no intention of shying away from the topic and has decided to do its part by reducing road transport. It is a process that actually started some time ago when we started to deliver to customers, especially in German-speaking countries, via intermodal shipments. Today we are going a step further by picking up goods from Porto Marghera by train and then storing them in our warehouses. This led to the choice of a new warehouse in Montirone, opposite the dry port operated by MIS. We have completed the first trials and are confident that this is the way forward. Europe is asking us to cut CO2 emissions and customers (steel mills and iron foundries distributed all over Europe) are acting accordingly: we are doing our part on the one hand by choosing suppliers that allow us to best meet this requirement and on the other hand by resorting as much as possible to rail transport, to assure that ferroalloys have the lowest possible carbon footprint.” stated Andrea Quaresmini, CEO of GME Metals.
“We are absolutely satisfied with our partnership with MIS,” added Daniele Marchiori, General Manager of Vecon-PSA Venice, “One of Vecon-PSA Venice’s business goals is to ensure its supply chain’s sustainability: why transport forty containers by truck from the Port of Venice to Brescia when you can use a block train? It means lower CO2 emissions, increased safety on the roads and certainty of transit time. Our people’s know-how allows us to increase the value chain through optimised and sustainable logistics operations.”
“The new service proves the soundness of AdSP MAS’s strategy aimed at enhancing the rail mode.” These are the words of the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port System Authority, Fulvio Lino Di Blasio, who continued stating “In the Port of Venice, this mode has steadily grown over the years: if in 2023 we recorded more than 2 million tons handled, from January to September 2024 we have already exceeded 1.6 million tons, showing a 6% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. It is for this reason that the Authority intends to continue investing in the rail mode, despite having been forced to deal with international crises and infrastructural difficulties, primarily the temporary closures of the Brenner and especially of the Tarvisio crossings, due to the work initiated by RFI to expand the capacity of the national railway network. Just consider the work that is already underway, including the new railway bridge over the Western Canal (worth 24 million Euros, it will get rid of interferences and bottlenecks to the benefit of the commercial terminals), or the rationalisation of traffic in Via dell’Elettricità (worth 19 million Euros) and the interventions planned in the near future, including an investment for 15 million Euros to solve traffic issues in Via della Chimica and the intermodal platform which will cost 1.2 million Euros to design. We are convinced that, also by means of these interventions, the Authority will contribute to increase the environmental sustainability of the Port of Venice, bring the Veneto’s network closer to European-level transport standards, as well as ensure greater efficiency in port logistics by enabling, amongst others, containerised cargo to reach new markets, thus determining a decisive switch from road to rail.”
Magli Intermodal Service(www.mis-srl.it), is a leading integrated logistics company for metal products, steel and industrial waste. From 2011 it offers INTERMODAL solutions in addition to integrated and sustainable logistics services that contribute to the development of a circular economy model for the steel supply chain and its products.
MIS operates both in the DOMESTIC and INTERNATIONAL markets. With 180 direct employees, it operates a proprietary vehicle fleet of 130 road tractors, 190 semi-trailers and 680 intermodal containers (which rises to 2,500 considering those operated by investee companies). The MIS group and its investee companies achieved a total aggregate turnover exceeding 250 million Euros in 2023 and directly employ about 500 people.
GME Metals is a trading company supplying ferroalloys and additives for steel plants throughout Europe. Its experience and knowledge of the market enables it to select the best producers worldwide, setting up long-term agreements to ensure quality and a stable supply. It offers all-round services, with goods guaranteed to be always in stock and ensuring just-in-time deliveries thanks to the strategic location of its warehouses.
For further information visit www.gmemetals.eu
PSA Italy operates out of Genoa and Venice at the PSA Genova Prà, PSA SECH and PSA VENICE – Vecon terminals. It handles more than 2 million TEUs a year and directly employs more than 1,000 people in Italy (https://www.psaitaly.com/)
PSA Italy is part of PSA International (PSA), a market-leading port group and trusted partner for freight operators. PSA’s global network relies on more than 170 locations in 45 countries around the world, and includes 66 terminals including port, rail and inland terminals, as well as associated operations in distriparks, warehouses and maritime and digital services. PSA actively collaborates with customers and partners around the world to offer world-class port services and develop innovative cargo solutions. As a partner of choice in the global supply chain, PSA is “The World’s Port of Call.”
The North Adriatic Sea Port System Authority (AdSPMAS) includes the ports of Venice and Chioggia and was established pursuant to Decree Law no. 169 of August 4, 2016.
It is a non-economic public entity and its scope is to guide, plan, co-ordinate, promote and control port operations. It carries out maintenance of common areas, maintains the seabed, supervises the provision of services of general interest, exclusively administers state-owned areas and property, and plans the development of the area under the port’s control. It also co-ordinates the administrative tasks performed by the public bodies present in the port and promotes means to ensure links to logistics platforms and inter-port systems. With a view to increase the port’s throughput, the North Adriatic Sea Port System Authority constantly assesses the international economic environment, current and potential influences and the state of the port’s infrastructure. For this purpose, it aligns its efforts with the planning tools and guidelines of other public institutions, ranging from the European Union to local authorities.