Linea Messina Review

Linea Messina is one of the largest shipping companies in Italy. This $500 million company is based in Genoa, and offers cargo-shipping services to destinations in Africa and Asia. All of the vessels that Messina owns and operates are specialized RoRo container ships that accommodate container cargo, as well as over-sized and project cargo.

Leading Provider of Shipping Services in Africa

Ignazio Messina, the son of Italian ship owner Giuseppe Messina, established the firm back in 1921. Since then, Messina has grown steadily to become the second largest RoRo container shipping company in the world. It is widely regarded as one of the foremost container shipping companies serving Africa, a region with which it has been associated since its inception nine decades ago. Currently, Messina directly owns and operates a fleet of 14 vessels and charters out several more from third parties. It employs about 1,000 personnel globally, and has a shipping capacity in excess of 55,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent containers).

Genoa Terminal Facility

The company was formally christened as the Ignazio Messina & C shipping company in 1928. The shipper retains the name even today, though it is known informally as Linea Messina in global shipping circles. Ignazio Messina owns and operates a massive terminal facility in Genoa. The terminal covers 250,000 square meters, and includes over 12,000 covered warehouses seven portainers, four transtainers and over 70 forklifts for handling all types of container and non-container cargo. The terminal is the largest in Genoa, and is equipped to receive, handle and process cargo on an around-the-clock basis throughout the year.

Shipping Routes

Messina offers shipping service between ports in the Mediterranean region, Africa, India and the Middle East. The company’s services cover Mediterranean ports such as Naples, Marseilles, Genoa and Castellon, and ports such as Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Cape Town, Quatar and Mumbai. The company offers daily, weekly and bi-weekly sailings to most of these ports.

Investments in Information Technology

In recent years, Messina has invested heavily in information technology to support its port operations. The company’s main IT hub is located at its headquarters in Genoa. The network allows customers to manage their cargo from berth booking to load pickup, transportation to port, loading, shipping and delivery at final destination. Linea Messina manages all its fleet schedules, supply chains and logistics through its central IT infrastructure in Genoa.