Italian Port Of Genoa News

Italian police discovered 270 kg (600 lb) of heroin hidden in a container that arrived aboard a ship from Iran, the biggest such haul for at least 20 years in Italy, police said on Thursday.The freighter had set sail from the Iranian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas and stopped off in Hamburg, Germany and Valencia, Spain before reaching the Italian port of Genoa on Oct. 17, where police discovered the heroin stashed away in a consignment of Bentonite clay.A police spokesman said investigators were not sure when or where the drugs were brought onto the ship.Police allowed a small portion of the illicit cargo to continue its planned journey by truck to the Netherlands.They tracked the vehicle as it crossed Switzerland…

In addition to standard containers, Hapag-Lloyd also transports special cargo that cannot be containerized. Among others, ships and yachts "piggyback" on board container ships. Each year, Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet transports several million containers over the world’s seas. But, on top of that, the vessels also take on board special cargo that doesn’t fit inside standardized steel boxes. Among the most spectacular of these objects are other ships and yachts that “piggyback,” so to speak, on board the massive container vessels as they make their journey.

A unit of one of the world's biggest cruise operators sought to reassure Italy on Friday that plans to transfer some of its operations to Germany did not mean it would move abroad. Costa Cruises, part of Carnival Corp, is based in the northern Italian port of Genoa, but transport workers union FIT-CISL fears the company's transfer plan spells job losses. Unions are concerned that the transfer of four Costa Cruises units to Hamburg would result in the loss of about 160 jobs and…

A professor who invited the disgraced captain of the capsized Costa Concordia to speak at a criminology seminar has been referred to the ethics committee at Rome's La Sapienza University, the university said on Wednesday. Professor Vincenzo Mastronardi held the seminar last month reconstructing the January 2012 shipwreck in which 32 people died, complete with 3D graphics and comments from the ship's captain Francesco Schettino, the university said. Schettino is on trial for manslaughter and accused of causing the incident and abandoning the 114…

Those killed in the collision of the Jolly Nero one year ago on May 7, 2013 were remembered in a memorial Mass celebrated by the Cardinal of Genoa, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco. Seafarers’ charity Apostleship of the Sea also held a commemoration in Genoa at the hour of tragedy on Wednesday to offer support and prayers for survivors and families affected. The day of remembrance concluded with boats gathering at the sight of the collision to pray for the deceased and to cast wreaths on the water.

The European Union will co-finance with €3.9 million from the TEN-T Programme a project to extend one of the terminals and renew the intermodal infrastructure of the northern Italian Port of Genoa. The project, which was selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Annual Call, concerns works aimed at adapting the Port’s infrastructure to larger ships. The Port of Genoa, as a major national port and southern European gateway, needs to be prepared for the future traffic demand increase and to adapt its port layout to the new market requirements.

Officials said seven are dead and two missing after the containership Jolly Nero crashed into a control tower in the Italian port of Genoa late Tuesday night. Rescue workers continue to search the rubble for survivors while divers scour the surrounding waters. The 240-meter ship collided with the 50-meter concrete and glass tower with approximately 13 people thought to be inside. The ship was exiting the port under tow of several tugboats and was on its way to Naples. The cause of the accident still remains unclear…