A new multipurpose terminal for handling containers and petroleum products near Venice, Italy, has been designed by the Italian company VGate Srl and submitted to the Italian Environment Ministry for evaluation, writes InforMare. The project outlines a facility 2.3 km offshore the port of Chioggia in the North Adriatic Sea, connected with the land by a bridge.

According to VGate, the project seeks to take advantage of the potential of the port location just outside the boundaries of the Venice Lagoon and to provide a logistic solution for the highly congested city.

The project implies constructing a platform 2,3 km away from the coast (in front of Isola Verde), where the natural depth is 17m, as well as a breakwater 3,84 km long. Protected by the breakwater, a container terminal will be constructed, that will be linked by the 2.3 km bridge directly to the national road and rail network. The bridge will be used for circulation of cars, trucks as well as trains. The projected container terminal will be able to accommodate simultaneously two vessels of last generation, with the capacity of over 18,000 TEU.

The construction is to be realized in three stages with the start expected in 2022. At Phase 1 the facility will be able to handle 500,000 TEU per year. According to VGate, 59% of traffic will be moved by trucks, 28% by rail, 3% by barges and 10% will constitute a transhipment volume.

Later, the terminal’s capacity will be increased to 1.2 mln TEU and by 2037 at Phase 3, it will reach 2 mln TEU. The share of rail traffic is to be increased up to 40%.

The cost of the construction is evaluated at EUR 1-1.5 bln and will be 100% financed by private investors. Once the project is approved by the authorities, which is expected in 2019-2012, a public tender will be launched to select companies interested in building and operating the terminal. Phase 1 of the facility is to be operational in 2027.