The €1.23 surcharge per full extra-EU container handled in the ports of Genoa, Savona and Vado Ligure will come into force on 1 March 2026 and will apply to both imports and exports. The measure was approved by the Management Committee of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority and applies exclusively to full containers arriving from or destined for non-EU countries, namely those flows that require full use of the Port Community System. The port authority defines the levy as a “use charge” for a digital platform that is already operational.
The decision forms part of a broader package of measures on road access, major construction works and digitalisation approved by the Authority, with the aim of strengthening the functionality and overall development of the ports of Genoa, Savona and Vado. According to the Authority, the Port Community System use charge is intended to support the long-term technological evolution of the Ligurian port system, aligning it with the growing need for digital integration between terminals, customs, public authorities and logistics operators.
From an operational perspective, the amount has been set uniformly at €1.23 per full extra-EU container and will be collected through documentary procedures already integrated within the Port Community System. The start date in early March 2026 is expected to allow time for the adoption of an implementing regulation and for the definition of how revenues will be channelled along the operational chain. The scope of the measure is limited to extra-EU container traffic, which the Authority considers to be the most administratively complex and the most demanding in terms of information exchange.
The Ports of Genoa Port Community System has been active since 2017 and represents the central digital infrastructure for managing and tracking import, export and transhipment documentation processes. The system enables the synchronisation of regulatory, commercial and operational activities across the logistics nodes connected to Genoa Prà, Savona and Vado, ensuring service continuity, cyber security and data segregation in line with the General Data Protection Regulation. According to the Authority, it is an essential shared service for improving the efficiency of logistics flows and reducing administrative lead times.
From an economic standpoint, the unit impact of €1.23 per container is marginal compared with the average value of a full container, but becomes more significant when viewed in terms of overall volumes and the cumulative effect of charges. Operators note that the new use charge adds to other port and territorial levies, fuelling perceptions of increasing pressure on maritime traffic. At the same time, linking the contribution to the use of the PCS makes the role of the digital platform in managing documentary flows structural and irreversible, sharpening the port community’s focus on service quality, system reliability and operational continuity.
