River transport: an opportunity for the ports of Venice and Chioggia

After the bonus aimed at developing rail transport, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) aims to strengthen the river mode by allocating incentives for the development of transport through inland waterways - January 25, 2021 In recent days, the MIT decree was published which establishes how incentives can be requested for "the enhancement of the transport of goods by inland waterways and inland waterways for the purpose of improving the environment and developing more sustainable forms of transport of goods "which provided for the allocation of €20 million over three years. A contribution that concerns both the transfer of goods on waterways, and the purchase or enhancement of barges, pusher boats and naval units. The decree represents an undoubted opportunity for the Venetian port system, the only national reality to be able to count an inland waterway that can connect the ports of Venice and Chioggia to the heart of the Po Valley; an inland navigation line that connects Venice and Chioggia to Mantua 365 days a year through the Fissero-Tartaro-Canalbianco navigable canal and which offers the possibility of continuing to Cremona. Moreover, using the Po, Piacenza can be reached 265 days a year. A modality, the fluvial one, also recognized by the European Union (which considers the Lombard-Venetian river section a component of the Mediterranean corridor of the Ten-T networks) and which has undoubted advantages from an environmental point of view. In fact, a barge capable of carrying 60 containers per trip translates into 60 fewer trucks on the roads for each single trip and this leads to a significant decrease in terms of CO2 emissions. Regarding the increase or enhancement of the fleet, the Decree provides contributions to improve the environmental performance of existing ships, pusher boats and barges - through the reduction of fuel consumption, improvement of hydrodynamics and optimization of energy on board - but also to integrate river transport into intermodal transport. In concrete terms, this means adapting the transport unit for new trades or serving seaports, buying new vessels and acquiring software or equipment for navigation. Contributions are also envisaged for the identification of new shipowners and innovative technological solutions. Source: Autorita’ di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Settentrionale (AdSP - Northern Adriatic Sea Port Authority)