Line signs three-year agreement with Municipality of Savona and the Port Authority of Savona
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Costa Cruises has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with the Municipality of Savona and the Port Authority of Savona to develop the Italian city’s cruise sector.
Signed on 10 November, the agreement calls for the organisations to work together to promote the sustainable growth of Savona’s cruise industry. The Cruise Lines International Association named Savona as Italy’s fourth busiest cruise port after it hosted more than one million embarking, disembarking and transiting passengers in 2014.
”Thanks to close cooperation between Costa, the municipality and the port authority, Savona will become a long-term reference for sustainable development in the cruise sector, thereby creating economic, social and environmental value for the area,” said Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises. “In recent years we have made major investments in Savona, such as the construction of the Palacrociere’s second terminal, and we would like to continue to grow together with the city in a responsible manner.”
Initiatives covered by the agreement will focus on improving environmental protection and the industry’s social and economic impact.
“This important document emphasises the signers' commitment to work on an array of strategic themes ranging from respect for the environment, to the promotion and enhancement of our city and its cruise vocation through shared actions and instruments,” said Federico Berruti, mayor of Savona.
Environmental initiatives will include monitoring in-port emissions from Costa ships and improving the management of vehicular traffic to and from the Palacrociere terminal, which is managed by Costa.
In addition, current ship waste recycling and disposal processes will be improved and the organisations will continue to monitor the noise impact of ships during port operations, and safeguard marine fauna via the Whalesafe programme. The organisations also aim to increase cooperation with partners.
Meanwhile, the group will commission a consulting company to measure the socio-economic impact of Savona’s cruising sector and ‘consolidate relationships’ with the local communities. For example, it will offer professional training and apprenticeships at the Palacrociere for young people from Savona, as well as courses on how to welcome tourists for current employees. Plus, the group will develop educational programmes for elementary and middle school students and work on cruise- and tourism-related research projects with universities and high schools. Students and members of the public will also be able to visit the Palacrociere, which will open for cultural events and conferences.
The Municipality of Savona, Port Authority of Savona and Costa have also pledged to evaluate how they can support or sponsor other local sustainability initiatives, and to regularly communicate the results of their studies to Savona’s citizens.
“The idea is to work all together to meet new challenges in terms of future investments and increasing the figures to be generated over the long term, starting from today and from everything that the cruise system has already developed in Savona,” said Gian Luigi Miazza, president of the Port Authority of Savona.