MSC saves the Trieste plant and converts it to the production of freight wagons. Aponte aims at tourism with Italo, hotels and…
With charter costs rising 170% since the Suez Canal crisis began, Gianluigi Aponte’s MSC shipping company continues to generate profits to be reinvested in sectors related to freight transport. In recent times, direct investments in Italy have intensified, with several acquisitions in companies active in logistics and infrastructure. The latest project announced by the founder of Sorrento, although still nearing completion, concerns the acquisition of Warstila of Trieste, the Finnish company producing marine engines which fired 300 employees. The news is reported by Republic.
Aponte declared himself interested in acquiring the Bagnoli della Rosandra plant, rehiring all 300 workers and converting it to the production of freight wagons. This movement aims to further enhance the onshore activities near the Port of Trieste, where MSC already has two piers for unloading goods, one directly and one via shareholding in the Hamburg port company. Aponte’s strong interest in the logistics sector is further confirmed by another operation currently being evaluated. This is the acquisition of the majority in the G4 consortium, winner of the contract for the logistics management of Baker Hughes, the American company that owns Nuovo Pignone. The investment will be made through Medlog, the MSC subsidiary specializing in logistics, despite the Americans’ initial reticence regarding Aponte’s participation in the contract. Furthermore, the founder of MSC intends to focus more on tourism in Italy. By March, subject to the green light from the European authorities, the acquisition should be finalized Italowith projects to upgrade railway services.
Furthermore, it is evaluating with MSC Cruises the possibility of connecting Italian ports with bus and train connections through a single ticketing system. For what concern aviation sector, Aponte follows the privatization of Ita closely, evaluating his possible involvement depending on the conditions imposed by the EU Antitrust on Lufthansa for the acquisition of the Italian company. Finally, to complete the tourist offer, Aponte is also exploring the hotel sector, with potential acquisitions such as the Bauer in Venice. Aponte discussed his growing interest in Italy during a recent meeting with Giorgia Meloni, although he has not yet announced the creation of an Italian holding company to aggregate his group’s multiple activities in the country.