The Ministry of the Environment has given the green light to the environmental impact assessment for the new Darsena Europa container terminal project in the Port of Livorno. This marks a significant advancement in the construction of the new container terminals at Livorno Port as part of the Darsena Europa project, following the environmental impact evaluation approval by the Ministry of the Environment.
Declaring the procedure complete, the ministry stated that "in light of the results of the appropriate assessment, as well as the mitigation measures included in the project, of which monitoring activities are an integral part, it is considered that the project will not have significant negative impacts on the integrity of the sites."
Following the ministry's announcement, Luciano Guerrieri, the Commissioner of Darsena Europa, commented, "Today marks the conclusion of a long and complex procedural journey that began over a year ago. We now must look forward and aim to realize the work in full compliance with the environmental prescriptions outlined in the 220 pages of technical opinion last December."
The Darsena Europa project will significantly increase the Port of Livorno's container handling capacity with the construction of three kilometers of quayside, allowing for the establishment of two terminals. This expansion will enable the port to double its annual capacity from the current 800,000 TEUs to 1.6 million TEUs.
In 2023, the Port of Livorno handled 669,414 TEUs, marking an 11% decrease compared to the previous year. Of these, 592,710 TEUs were distributed inland, and 76,704 were transferred onto feeder ships. Additionally, the port handled 467,312 roll-on/roll-off units in the ro-ro traffic, experiencing a 2.8% decrease.
