The new Vado Gateway terminal, located in Vado Ligure, Italy, received its first commercial service on 11 February 2020. The ship, M/V Maersk Kota, was the first of seven ships from Maersk’s weekly ME2 service, connecting the Mediterranean with the Middle East and India.
The call by M/V Maersk Kota marked the start of operations for the new deep-sea Vado Gateway container terminal. With a total investment of €450 (US$480) million, it is considered by some to be one the most important port infrastructures to be built in Italy in recent decades.
Managed by APM Terminals (APMT) Vado Ligure, the new container terminal strengthens the competitiveness of the Italian port system and represents a strategic hub for the new “Silk Road”, connecting the markets of Northern Italy, Switzerland, Germany and north-eastern France with the Far East, according to APMT.
Once unloading operations at Vado have been completed, containers will continue their journey by road or rail. The terminal operates a truck appointment system to limit turn times to a minimum and ensure maximum efficiency. Rail connections from Vado Ligure include the inland terminals of Pioltello (Milan), Rubiera (Modena) and Padua. Export activities also benefit from this new service, with containers arriving from all over Northern Italy, both by road and by rail.
Maersk’s MMX service, connecting the Mediterranean and Canada, is scheduled for the beginning of March. The five ships engaged on this line, of approximately 2,500TEU each, will dock in Vado Gateway once per week.
