As Ukraine steps up its recovery efforts, Italy has pledged support for the reconstruction of its ports, which have been repeatedly hit by missile and drone strikes from Russia. Last week, the Ukrainian Seaports Authority (USPA) signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Italian port authorities: the Eastern Adriatic Port Authority and the Western Ligurian Port Authority. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the International Conference on Reconstruction of Ukraine, held in Rome.
As the Eastern Adriatic Port Authority manages the ports of Trieste and Monfalcone, Ukraine hopes to benefit from the management’s experience in implementing digital port solutions. The port of Trieste is one of Italy’s largest cargo ports and a critical terminal in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). Italy, through its national railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS Group), is already leading plans to create a logistics corridor from western Ukraine (Lviv) to the ports of Trieste and Venice. On Friday, FS Group signed a cooperation agreement with Ukrainian Railways (UZ) to accelerate the development of the corridor. FS Group said it would form a working group of representatives from both railway companies, which would meet at least four times a year. Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri is also reportedly considering establishing a shipyard in Odessa. These plans were first announced last September, when Fincantieri aimed to revive Ukraine’s defunct state-owned shipyards in the port of Odessa.
“These memorandums open up new opportunities for digitalization and the introduction of modern logistics solutions, as well as adapting ports to new challenges. This is another step towards integration into the European logistics space – through concrete cooperation, training and investment,” said Oleksandr Semirga, head of the USPA.
Notably, the Rome conference helped Ukraine conclude deals worth more than $11 billion, covering defense and infrastructure. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has estimated the country’s recovery at $1 trillion. Deputy Minister of Territorial Development Andriy Kashuba has estimated that Ukraine needs $566 million to restore critical port infrastructure in the Black Sea region.