Library of sea and sea coast
"All the stormy passions of humanity, ... are spent as reflections in a mirror, without a trace of the mysterious face of the Sea Joseph Conrad
All those who look with admiration the comings and goings of the great vessels from the ports or crossing the summer off the lines of large commercial traffic, he finally found an extensive and very current in the narrative Sergio Bologna's book:
"Multinationals sea. Readings on the maritime port system " (Egea: pp. 326, € 28). A text with documented, useful for those in work, and understandable even for those more generally interested in the sea and its many economies. For the latter, since the introduction clarifies the current role of the Mediterranean port facilities that, if "for a long time has been relegated to a peripheral location ", in the last decade of the twentieth century" was coming to visit again in a central location. " But the dream, or nightmare second perhaps a more eco-friendly and balanced view, "that the Mediterranean could return to some extent be the center of the world, unfortunately, did not last long." Here the story gives way to the record, that of a financial crisis that has severely affected its effect on sea trade, evidenced by the drastic drop in the Italian ports of movement, in recent years.
Sergio Bologna's work starts with a brief discussion on the origins of the modern port, with two parallel stories: Genoa and Trieste. The fortunes of the latter are related to the opening of the Suez Canal and not by chance that in 1869 the first ship was a steamship crossed the Trieste: the "First". But in 1876 Genoa regain "that record, between the Italian ports, which retains many."
The book continues with the analysis of the five stages of port history, from the mid-nineteenth century to the present: Trustees, industrialization, Reconstruction, industrialization, and globalization. The latter, marked by the extraordinary success of the container, which has become the very symbol of globalization, has seen the radical transformation of the ports' container terminal. " But as we are reminded the author, "Do you live in one container, it remains very current indeed the centrality of the" bulk "liquid or solid, ie oil, gas, grain, coal, minerals, fertilizers, etc.. Ships are often gems of technique, even if "conventional cargo are still in service flower carts." Dick about that all environmental risks, especially for shallow seas and as the northern Adriatic, so that many have considering the possibility to apply for recognition of "Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, PSSA internationally defined," Particularly Sensitive Sea Area. A fragile environment which, although strong in differences, it is common to many other sensitive areas, such as the Strait of Bonifacio, the Straits of Messina, Strait of Otranto.
Another disruptive element of the last decade is the "giant ship, which led to the creation of
full container vessels of 400 meters long, 50 wide, with a draft of 14 feet and a cruising speed of 23-25 \u200b\u200bknots . But these ULCS, an acronym that defines this kind of international ships, ports need to be adapted, with features that are often antithetical to those of many Italian companies. Suffice it to say that along the west coast of the Adriatic bathymetry of 15 meters is to be found than 5 miles from the shore! Or what sia necessario stravolgere i delicatissimi equilibri ambientali della Laguna di Venezia per consentire l’approdo a Marghera di enormi mercantili o delle altrettanto gigantesche navi da crociera a Venezia.
Comunque la si pensi, e a riguardo le visioni ambientaliste e liberiste sono spesso inconciliabili, il libro di Sergio Bologna è uno strumento indispensabile per cercare di comprendere la complessità economica che attraversa i mari italiani, che riguarda i suoi porti, che dovrebbe interessare un paese con ottomila chilometri di coste.