Italian steelmaker Acciaierie d’Italia has announced that its ships that were out of service due to lack of maintenance and expired certifications, have recently resumed operations to increase its efficiency and its competitiveness in domestic and international markets.
Accordingly, the company’s VLOC ship Gemma, which has been stuck in Singapore since 2020 and is able to carry up to 315,000 mt of iron ore, has been allocated for raw material transport to Taranto from Brazil. It is expected to arrive in Taranto in November this year.
Moreover, following comprehensive maintenance works, the Ursa Minor ship with a capacity of 30,000 mt dedicated to the transport of finished and semi-finished products, will set sail again this week, carrying semi-finished products to northern Italy from Acciaierie d’Italia’s Taranto plant through the port of Genova. In the meantime, Ursa Minor’s sister ship Ursa Major will be serviced and reclassified, with its return scheduled for the end of this year. Both Ursa Minor and Ursa Major will ensure supply of the company’s Genova, Novi, and Racconigi plants, reducing the risk of delays, eliminating dependence on third-party shipowners and providing a competitive advantage in terms of efficiency and control over logistics operations.
Additionally, the Italian steelmaker’s smaller ships such as Corona Australe and Corona Boreale will also be relaunched following necessary maintenance works.