Messina: "Ferries, Italy risks losing 30,000 employees"

Genoa - The Italian government has chosen to save Alitalia and has betrayed the maritime sector. Stefano Messina, president of the Italian shipowners association (Assarmatori), says this in an interview with the newspaper Il Secolo XIX. "We would have liked more support. We are Italy, a country that depends almost entirely on ships for its exports and for the supply of energy and raw materials. A country that has one sixth of its population living on islands. This underestimation will have a huge cost and will be paid by companies, passengers, but first of all seafarers, thousands of whom will lose their jobs. "The drop in revenues for shipping companies is dramatic. On Sicily and Sardinia the drop is 100% 60% to 90% on the smaller islands. We believe that public aid is necessary, as was done for Alitalia."