The ribbon was cut today at the Port of Savona, unveiling the new Calata delle Vele cruise ship pier and Palacrociere Terminal 1 after a 22 million euros renovation.
Costa Cruises President Neil Palomba attended the ceremony with Savona Mayor Ilaria Caprioglio; Giovanni Toti, the Liguria Region president; and Paolo Emilio Signorini, president of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority. In keeping with traditions, the ceremony was also blessed by Mons. Angelo Monaco.
The pier can accommodate the newest and largest ships, including Costa Smeralda. This required deepening the sea bed from 9 meters to 11, which involved reinforcing piers 9 and 10 and the installation of scaffolding supported by pillars on the front of pier 8. The 17 million euros project by the Port Authority was completed on time for the arrival of the Costa Diadema. Costa invested 5 million euro in the renovated terminal, company officials said in a news release.
The work was completed within the expected timeframe and has adapted the main cruise ship pier to the requirements of the latest generation of ships. Costa has therefore regained access to its historic facility, where millions of passengers have regularly disembarked over the last 15 years or so, making the Savona hub one of the busiest cruise ports in Italy and Europe.
Signorini said supporting the cruise sector is a priority for the Port Authority.
“This priority is shared with Costa Cruises, which made the considerable investment needed to adapt its homeport’s passenger facilities as a further successful step forward in the fruitful relationship it has always had with the authority,” he said. “Savona and Genoa are in the top 10 Italian ports with a positive trend for the current year and excellent forecasts for 2020 that reinforce this trend, making Liguria the top Italian region in terms of the number of cruise travelers received. The efforts made by the Port Authority and Costa are an important confirmation, coming at the end of a difficult year which has seen all the institutions involved in a relaunch following the collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa.”
Following a competitive tender process for work on Palacrociere terminal 1, the job was awarded to six companies from the Savona area. They involved a reorganization of the entrance hall, where the fountain was removed, the reception desk was rebuilt and the rear area used for security checks on travelers boarding the ships was widened and fitted with four X-ray machines. Also to help regulate the flow of passengers, part of the terrace, measuring 130 square meters, was covered with a glass structure and will be used as an access area for cruise passengers in transit, with an additional four X-ray machines.
The signs have been replaced and a connecting bridge built between the two higher floors. The biggest investment was for the two “fingers”, the suspended walkways that connect the terminal to the ship. These glass and metal structures weigh 96 tons, measure 30 x 10 meters and are 18 meters high.
To regulate the flow of pedestrians more efficiently and safely along Via Gramsci in Savona, close to the crossing opposite the dockyard, Costa will fund the purchase and installation of a new on-demand traffic light system.
Palomba said the inauguration of this new port infrastructure, resulting from cooperation with the Port Authority, consolidates Costa’s strategic development plans for Savona.
“The work on the terminal and pier will accommodate the Costa Smeralda, our new LNG flagship. We are pleased to bring this innovative technology to Savona, a city with which we have had strong ties for over 20 years. Thanks to the arrival of the Smeralda in 2020, we expect our traffic in Savona to grow again, with 900,000 passenger movements,” said Palomba.
