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GNV requests investments in Malta to accommodate larger ships

14 octobre 2024

0 6 minutes de lecture

The relationship between the company and the island has progressed in the first seven months of 2024, marked by a 10% increase in volumes and a 2% rise in market share. Additional investments are planned to strengthen operations.

To promote its historical connection with the Maltese archipelago and enhance services for its clientele, GNV (MSC Group) organized an event in Valletta, attended by Malta’s Minister of Transport, Chris Bonett.

At this event, held aboard the MSC World Europa, CEO Matteo Catani and the company’s management were present, along with several local representatives and operators from the maritime and transport sectors. Among them were Karl Gollcher, director of the eponymous company that has supported GNV in developing its operations in Malta for years, and Joseph Bugeja, president of ATTO, the association representing logistics operators that regularly connect Malta to the rest of the world.

Matteo Catani Took the Opportunity to Appeal to Minister Bonett…

Matteo Catani seized the opportunity to appeal to Minister Bonett, urging the Maltese government « to continue investing in port infrastructure—particularly at the Port of Valletta—with the aim of continually improving accessibility, thus allowing for the docking of vessels with greater transport capacity, enhancing trade, optimizing services for passenger transit, and improving the flow of goods. » He emphasized that this investment request, directed at all relevant stakeholders, is driven by market needs and the energy transition.

The CEO of GNV also highlighted the strong bond that has developed between the company and the Maltese archipelago after more than ten years of experience in transport services between Italy and Malta: « Trade with the island of Malta, a strategic destination in the center of the Mediterranean engaged in a strong tourism recovery, is a key link for the goods sector and is rapidly growing for GNV. Over the past two years, we have seen significant development, and in 2024, volume growth is in double digits compared to the previous year, » Catani stated.

The ferry—according to the company’s statement—has a large capacity for transporting passengers and goods and serves as a fundamental vector for both direct and indirect interests in the territories it connects by sea, thereby contributing to the well-being, economic and social development, and cultural exchanges of those territories. This explains the deep connection between GNV and the Maltese archipelago. « The company, particularly through its links with the city of Genoa, represents a strategic ‘bridge’ between Malta and Italy on one hand, and with other Northern European countries on the other, actively contributing to trade exchanges and the creation of mutual value between countries. »

The event also provided GNV with an opportunity to review the prospects and figures of the Maltese market: trade, primarily focused on the goods segment, is of significant importance to the company, which has been operating in the Maltese archipelago for over ten years. Its overall strategy is based on the desire to increase the transport capacity available on its vessels for medium- and long-distance routes, with the aim of better serving its clientele. Already in 2023, growth, particularly in the goods segment, showed better results compared to the previous year, with over 4.3 million linear meters transported, representing a 9.3% increase compared to 2022. This is a result the company aims to improve further this year, according to the statement.

In the first seven months of 2024, the Maltese goods market (source X), in terms of import and export volumes, recorded 425,000 linear meters, marking a 3% increase compared to the same period last year. In 2023, the total linear meters transported was 705,000.

During the first seven months of 2024, GNV transported over 137,000 linear meters, which is 10% more than in 2023. During this same period, the company’s market share in Maltese trade increased by 2 percentage points, rising from 31% to 33%.

At the event, Matteo De Candia, GNV’s freight sales director, spoke about the services: « We operate in the Maltese market with two ro-ro vessels, the Caroline Russ and the Elisabeth Russ, used for transporting rolling cargo that dock at the Port of Valletta three times a week from the ports of Genoa and Palermo, ensuring excellent and consistent service for shippers and carriers, while also allowing for the transport of refrigerated and hazardous goods. »