MSC Establishes A New Company.

Shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), Italy's national railroad holding company, have agreed to work together to expand the freight logistics network between Italian ports and the rest of Europe by building more terminals to facilitate sea-rail intermodal transport and creating a new company specializing in intermodal transport.

According to a joint statement, the main objective of the new partnership is to develop intermodal sea and rail transportation in order to achieve greater and more efficient synergies and expand the freight logistics network to and from Italian and European ports.

Continuing its foray into logistics and intermodal solutions, MSC's logistics company Medlog signed a memorandum of understanding with Mercitalia Logistics, part of Italian railroad Ferrovie dello Stato, for the formation of a new joint venture, 51% owned by Mercitalia Logistics and 49% by MEDLOG. The aim is to "develop maritime and rail intermodal transportation with greater and more efficient synergies in order to expand the freight logistics network to and from Italian and European ports and to create a new company to build new terminals".

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Geneva by Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics and Head of the Logistics Division of FS Italia Group, and Giuseppe Prudente, Chief Logistics Officer and President of MEDLOG at MSC, in the presence of FS Group. The signing ceremony was attended by Luigi Ferraris, CEO of FS Group, and Gianluigi Aponte, Chairman of MSC Group.

MSC acquired a 50% stake in Italian high-speed rail operator Italo in October, which, together with Ferrovie dello Stato, carries the majority of Italy's train freight and passenger traffic.

Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics, said, "This agreement is part of the initiatives envisioned in the company's business plan to strengthen its existing terminals and create more advanced and environmentally friendly intermodal hubs. It will allow us to increase the volume of cargo transported by train thanks to the increasingly efficient connection of our ports and terminals to national networks and European rail corridors, consolidating the integration of the sea-rail-road transport system."

Giuseppe Prudente, Chief Logistics Officer of MSC Group and President of MEDLOG, said, "The signing of this important agreement is a significant result of a project whose initial objective was to create one of the most important operators in Europe, offering optimized and more sustainable logistics solutions to its customers. In addition, reducing the use of long-distance road transportation will not only help to reduce emissions but also improve the safety and quality of life of our employees."

The memorandum follows another agreement signed by the two companies in September last year, which laid the groundwork for evaluating the possibilities and mutual benefits of establishing a commercial and operational partnership for the development of combined maritime transportation.

This cooperative effort will make it possible to create new terminal capacity based on the development of maritime intermodal transportation to and from Italian ports, improve the quality of services, and offer a competitive alternative to road transportation on the Italy-North Europe axis.