The arrival of the Songa Cheetah in Ravenna on Feb 28th , having sailed from the port of Chattogram just short of three weeks earlier, marked the maiden voyage of Kalypso Compagnia di Navigazione’s (Rif Line SpA) new direct service linking Terminal Container Ravenna (TCR) to Bangladesh and the all-important markets of the Indian sub-Continent and South East Asia. With this new direct connectivity, Italian and south European importers can avoid transshipping their cargoes and taking advantage of the much quicker transit-times especially for the garment and refrigerated trades. This new service will give importers the advantage of up to 12 days reduction on existing transit-times.
The geographical position of Ravenna and TCR’s road and especially rail connectivity played a key role in Rif Line’s decision to call there. TCR has a very strong reputation for its intermodal connectivity with a number of key consumer markets and production areas in Emilia Romagna region, as well as supporting the supply-chains to Lombardy, Veneto and south Europe. Existing customers at TCR have long acknowledged the impact of rail as a competitive advantage and the availability of intermodal opportunities to and from rail-hubs, located in Milan for example, which also provides links to the key markets in south Europe such as Switzerland, Austria and south Germany and onwards to Rotterdam.
Milena Fico, general manager at TCR commented “the partnership with Rif Line and commencement of this new service, marks a new era not only for our terminal, but for Ravenna and the Adriatic. With the direct connection to the key Bangladeshi market, TCR’s international scope for Italian importers and exporters has widened immeasurably. I believe the professionalism and hard work, including our investments and business development policies are further paying off. Our goal is to maintain the highest service standards for which customers will benefit. I am confident this milestone is a starting point from which we can support and develop business for Rif Line”.
Franco Rondini, general manager of Kalypso, was present at TCR alongside all of Rif Line’s top executives, representatives of local authorities, and terminal management to salute the maiden voyage of the service. He commented how ''it was crucial for Kalypso to set up a connection that also covered the Adriatic side of Italy. The best choice turned out to be the port of Ravenna - TCR Terminal Container Ravenna, not only because of its strategic geographical location, but also because of the efficiency of its port management. We are confident that this new partnership will help our company grow and facilitate trade with the East.''
