Port of La Spezia appoints first Italian cold ironing manager

The Eastern Ligurian Sea Port System Authority has appointed Semp Srl as the temporary manager for cold ironing services at the Port of La Spezia. This makes La Spezia the first Italian port to formally designate a manager for providing shore-to-ship electrical power.

The management agreement is an additional act to an existing concession contract and will initially last for nine months, with an option for a nine-month renewal. The decision was made to ensure operational readiness for upcoming cruise ship calls and to prevent the inactivation of infrastructure funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

While technical testing has been completed, specific tariffs and operational procedures are still being finalized through subsequent ordinances. The authority bypassed standard bidding procedures due to the urgency of the service request and the complexity of current ministerial guidelines.