Ignazio Messina & C. :The secret of specialization

Let’s start with some historical facts: Ignazio Messina & C. started operating in 1921 as a familiy enterprise and, over the last century, gradually expanded until it become one of the main Italian shipping companies in the world, dealing with the challenges of global competitiveness.

Today, Ignazio Messina & C. provides regular liner services that connect the Mediterranean to Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, reaching more than 50 ports and supplying over 40 different countries. Thanks to the development of an efficient ground logistic system, the company serves more than 100 inland destinations in Africa, the Middle East and India, as well as in Europe.

History and tradition have allowed Ignazio Messina & C. to acquire greater and greater ability and experience in developing avant-garde solutions for moving and stowing special cargos. Thanks to several important investments in highly specialized Ro-Ro ships and equipment such open top, platforms, and mafi trailers, today the company is able to offer regular scheduled services for project cargos even if they have outstanding size and weight.

A strong advantage of our company – as CEO Ignazio Messina says – is without a doubt its property fleet that has been totally renewed during the last years: it is composed by last generation ro-ro container ships, whose projects have completely designed in-house by the company, proudly flying the Italian flag.

“These eco-friendly ships are equipped with high-tech anti-pollution system such as an innovative gas cleaning system able to operate both in navigation and in port. They also obtained the Greenplus certification from the Italian Register, Rina.But, above all, they are highly specialized vessels, with a unique operational flexibility: in fact, they can efficiently operate even in unequipped ports because they can load trough their ramp every kind of heavy or special cargo”, he adds.

So, let’s see some figures: the ramp is specifically designed to allow boarding heavy lift cargo for more than 350 tons, thanks to a total 12,5 metres draft as useful passage. The stern door is 27 metres wide and 7 metres high.

The new vessels are 240 metres long by 37,50 wide; with a 3.900 teu and 6.350 metres of ro-ro cargo capacity, 21.5 knots speed.

We can say that every branch of Ignazio Messina & C. organization is characterized by a strong specialization: in fact there is a dedicated team for project cargo and extremely qualified in exceptional/special shipments, with reference not only to sea transportation, but also for inland and intermodal logistics.

These eco-friendly ships are equipped with high-tech anti-pollution system such as an innovative gas cleaning system able to operate both in navigation and in port. They also obtained the Greenplus certification from the Italian Register, Rina.But, above all, they are highly specialized vessels, with a unique operational flexibility

Between the main assets of Ignazio Messina & C. we can find its IMT, Intermodal Marine Terminal based in the Port of Genoa: it is a real multipurpose terminal, a complex capable of moving any type of cargos, except for liquids and dry bulk: containers, rolling cargos, general cargos, equipment, yachts, boats and special cargos.

The port area of IMT is about 253,000 square meters and it will become 316,000 sq. m. as soon as the works to fill up the water space between Molo Ronco e Molo Canepa will be completed.

It has a 1,300-meter-long dock that can host 5/6 ships, two berth are equipped with mast steps for ro/ro units. The medium draught is 13 meters deep. The range of equipment is really wide and includes: 4 ship-to-shore cranes, 2 transtainer cranes and a mobile one; in the loading area work 12 reach-stackers, 22 fork lifts, 25 tug masters, 23 trailers and 8 roll trailers.

IMT has a total storage capacity of 10,000 TEUs, with a special area reserved for dangerous goods (for a maximum of 305 TEUs); moreover, we provide 350 plugs for refrigerated containers, up to 7,000 cubic meters and is directly connected to the railway and motorway networks through several private gates.

In addition to the headquarter in Genoa, Italy, the Ignazio Messina & C. can boast:

– commercial offices in Italy: Modena and Naples;
– representation commercial offices in Europe: London, Barcelona and Valencia;
– controlled agencies in Europe: Marseille;
– controlled agencies in Africa: South Africa (Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg), Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan), Senegal (Dakar), Kenya (Mombasa, Nairobi), Tunisia (Tunis), Uganda (Kampala) and Mozambique (Maputo).