Italy is the second largest manufacturing base in Europe and has a traditional reliance on imports of raw materials and a historic vocation to export its products of excellence, such as: agriculture, mechanics and fashion. Over 70% of the goods, entering or leaving our borders, are transported by sea. Our country is the most popular cruise destination in Europe and one of the most important markets in the world for transporting passengers and goods by sea in short, medium and long shipping. The position of Italy in the Mediterranean and the maritime vocation of its people complete the picture of a nation devoted to the sea.

Assarmatori gives a voice to shipowners operating in Italy regardless of the flag that ships fly. This is an innovative factor–unique in the Italian associative panorama, which enables valid representation to such companies, which are the majority, and which maintain regular transport services in Italy, and operate as ships registered in other EU countries or in third countries.

The globalization of markets, the relocation of industrial production, the international economic crisis, the fierce competition of some countries operating outside the economic market rules,   and the environmental challenges in which the global maritime transport is called to play its part in an extraordinary way, especially and including with the entry into force in 2020 of the Sulphur Cap, are all highly challenging subject matters that impose a refined and above-all, a conscious undertaking by ship operators.

Assarmatori addresses the problems of the shipping sector with a systemic associative approach, having a modern vision for doing business and always supporting the Institutions, while being sensitive to the working needs of Companies in order to preserve their competitiveness, and to respect the competition rules to facilitate access and to have financial transparency, guarantees for personnel training, technological innovation, and to achieve and maintain the highest standards of environmental protection and safety.

We, our associates and our collaborators together, unite to achieve increasingly ambitious goals but without forgetting the strong identity of the national shipowning tradition—which is one of the longest and most extraordinary traditions in the world.

 

Stefano Messina

President of Assarmatori