Mario Masserotti: We are primarily based in Barcelona and the port of Valencia where we have a terminal covering 300,000 m². We make a clear distinction between our Short Sea Shipping activities, serving mainland Italy, Tangiers and Sardinia in particular, and our Ro-Ro services which allow us to go further, especially as we also operate container services on these lines. From Valencia, we serve all of West Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. We also have a Ro-Ro connection to Finland and Russia from Bilbao and Santander.
How is Ro-Ro traffic evolving?
We have significantly increased freight volumes from Barcelona by investing 20 million euros in the development of the Quai Costa in 2013, and we have just launched a daily Ro-Ro service between Valencia and the ports of Livorno and Savona, offering a comprehensive alternative to inland transport. In addition to the increase in the quantities of goods transported, this means we can offer a regular service which fulfils the requirements of our freight customers's Just in Time (JIT) strategy.
Expand transport plans
First of all, we avoid all the route's regulatory constraints in terms of transportation time and also offer cost savings of up to 40% or 50% for lorries. But above all, the regularity of our services enables our customers to implement transport plans on a much wider scale. To give you an example, we previously served a hinterland of 200 km around Savona. With our new Ro-Ro link, this catchment area is now expanding beyond these perimeters to Greece and Eastern Europe.
Does this strategy meet the demand?
Absolutely! If we put a new service in place, it's because our freight customers require us to. This is down to an underlying trend: hauliers and logistics service providers are collaborating more and more, and are therefore constantly being further integrated in our strategy. Development must be based on mutual understanding because what is good for them is also good for us. Taking their requirements into consideration in terms of delivery times, for example, allows us to load goods today that we would not have been able to carry on our vessels in the past. I'm thinking of the automotive industry, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, and the replacement parts sector in particular, which requires precise delivery times. More generally, all goods managed under the Just In Time principle are affected.
This is proof that Ro-Ro transport can be adapted to the demands of carriers and manufacturers.
Special issue : Market 14
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