Italtugs, The Cafieros’ tugboat giant

Rome - The three shipping companies Augustea, Cafimar and Scafi signed an agreement to combine their tugboat and port services under a new operating holding company called Italtugs, headquartered in Rome. The push to consolidate (which is no news in the sector) resulted from the latest regulatory developments concerning nautical-technical services, with the latest version of the government’s plan for logistics requiring European tenders for the assignment of these services in the ports: this led to the need for companies to present themselves on the market as more structured and competitive to face both Italian and foreign competitors, now that the national market will be open to major European companies.

In January 2014, the Genoese group Rimorchiatori Riuniti (owned by the Gavarone-Delle Piane families) acquired 50% of Gesmar from the Poggiali family in Ravenna, which created a fleet of 70 units. In April of this year, Davide Calderan’s Panfido acquired a “substantial” share of Gianni de Domenico’s Rimorchiatori Napoletani, bringing his combined fleet to a total of 41 ships. The Italtugs operation created a company with a fleet of 70 units, €80 million in aggregate billing and 450 employees and contractors.

The agreement created an operating holding company that combines companies that once had common roots, since they are three of the four companies that the shipowner Salvatore Cafiero (of a family of shipowners from Sorrento that goes back to the 17th Century) created from the division of his own company among his daughters at the time of his death in 1982: Cafima to Maria Laura, Augustea to Paola, Cafimar to Sandra, and Scafi to Bruna. The Scafi company (Cafiero-Visco) is active in the Ligurian ports of Savona (through its subsidiary Carmelo Noli) and La Spezia (Rimorchiatori Riuniti Spezzini), and also especially in the ports of Gioia Tauro (through Con.Tug in a joint venture with Contship) and Colon (in Panama, PTG Company). Augustea Imprese Marittime e Salvataggi belongs to the Augustea Group (Cafiero-Zagari) which is also active in the maritime transport of dry and liquid cargo) and operates in the ports of Augusta, Catania, Siracusa and Pozzallo, plus four ports in Colombia. Cafimar (Cafiero-Russo) manages the port tugboat business in the ports of Civitavecchia, Augusta e Palermo through its subsidiaries Rimorchiatori Laziali and Somat.

The board of directors of Italtugs consists of Alessandro Russo (C.E.O.); Pietro Antonio Cafiero (president) and Paolo Visco. With yesterday’s agreement, there are now five major national operators active in the port and sea-going tugboat sector: Italtugs, Rimorchiatori Riuniti, the Cafima Group, Panfido, Vincenzo Onorato’s Moby Tugboat Division, and Fratelli Neri.