On Monday 25th July, GAINN_IT partners and the external technical experts from GASFIN, Rimorchiatori Napoletani, Civitavecchia Port Authority and Iveco, met at Rail Hub Milano in Melzo for a meeting organized by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) and the Directorate-General for the Supervision of Port Authorities, Port Infrastructures, Maritime Transport and Inland Waterways, as part of the GAINN_IT project.
The aim of the GAINN_IT initiative is to conceive, define, test, validate and deploy the Italian network of infrastructures of alternative fuels for both maritime and road transport. Italy is involved in two of the GAINN projects, co-funded by the European Commission through the CEF Programme, GAINN4MOS and GAINN4CORE. The initiative supports the implementation of the EU Directive 2014/94 concerning the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure.
Contship Italia, an implementing body of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, is involved in the Gainn_IT project with the aim of designing and developing an LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) filling station for land transport located near the intermodal hub in Melzo.
The purpose of the July 25th meeting was to discuss the LNG demand and development scenario for both sea and land transport from now to 2020, specifically in the geographical area of Tirreno-Ligure, and to analyze possible developments and to identify the most important measures which need to be taken.
The meeting provided a common framework to define an integrated development strategy. The definition of the technical specifications and the identification of a network of LNG filling stations and depots, constitute the starting point for the detailed engineering studies required for the implementation of the national LNG strategic plan.
Daniele Testi, Director of Marketing of Broström Tankers AB and President of SOS Log (www.sos-logistica.org) commented: “We do recognize that there is a continuous debate in the container shipping expert community about the LNG benefit. Despite the huge savings on the particulate matter emissions, the higher required capex for LNG-ready containerships is still affecting the related investments of the carriers. Differently, as SOS Log, we recorded a positive trend in the haulage transport sector, boosted by the availability of more LNG fueling stations and the offer of truck vendors. Savings on TCO (total cost of ownership) for a LNG truck is in the range of 8-10% compared to EuroVI models.”
Mario Dogliani, Head of GAINN_IT Initiative, also commented “One of the main goals of this meeting was to find a common context within which we will set up the future scenario, taking into account the needs of both private and public operators."
