The Genoa-based shipping group Ignazio Messina & C. has launched a maritime container transport service linking the port of Genoa with Algiers. The initiative strengthens the company’s presence in the western Mediterranean and comes at a time of intensifying commercial relations between Italy and Algeria, supported by a favourable political and economic environment. The new connection is operated with a dedicated vessel and responds to growing demand for container transport between Europe and North Africa, particularly for flows of industrial goods, machinery and intermediate products destined for the Algerian market.
The vessel deployed is the container ship Libertas-H, with a capacity of 443 TEU, built in 2007 and recently added to the Messina fleet. Its compact dimensions and technical configuration make it well suited to regular intra-Mediterranean services and ports with diverse infrastructure characteristics, prioritising operational flexibility and fast turnaround times.
In the start-up phase, the service features a special rotation including Genoa, Algiers, Castellón and Barcelona, while once fully operational the line will run on a Fos, Genoa, Barcelona, Algiers and back to Fos rotation, with a fortnightly frequency. The inclusion of Fos-sur-Mer allows the service to tap into the French market and broaden its catchment area towards western Europe, while Barcelona represents a strategic connection hub for flows originating from the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
The geographical positioning of the service in the western Mediterranean allows for relatively short sailing times, with a distance of around 450–500 nautical miles between Genoa and Algiers. This configuration supports regular sailing schedules and greater reliability for freight forwarders and shippers, factors of particular importance at a time when global supply chains remain subject to tension and disruption.
Algiers is the hub of the service and is currently Algeria’s main commercial port. In the second quarter of 2025, the port recorded a 31.69% increase in container traffic and a 20% rise in overall volumes handled, reaching 2.414 million tonnes. According to data from the port authority, exports grew by 42.51% and average vessel dwell times were reduced from 4.49 to 3.44 days, thanks to the introduction of continuous 24/7 operations launched in February 2025.
The return of Ignazio Messina & C. to an Algerian route with a dedicated vessel marks a shift compared with previous years, during which the company served these routes through slot purchase agreements with other operators. Direct control of the service allows greater commercial flexibility, more careful management of transport quality and better integration with the Genoa hub and the group’s other services to the Middle East, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent.
Algeria is one of Italy’s most important trading partners in Africa and, in the first eight months of 2025, trade between the two countries reached around €9 billion, with Italian exports amounting to €1.93 billion, up 11.7% year on year. Algeria is also Italy’s leading supplier of natural gas and a key partner within the framework of the Mattei Plan for Africa, which envisages total investments of €5.5 billion. In July 2025, the fifth Italy–Algeria intergovernmental summit led to the signing of more than 40 cooperation agreements in the energy, infrastructure, agriculture, industry and transport sectors. These projects are generating a structural increase in flows of machinery, plants and materials destined for Algeria, with growing demand for reliable and regular maritime transport services.
Mara Gambetta
