Ports and terminals as gateways of trade and engines of growth: competitiveness, resilience, greener operations, the port reform in Italy, the large-scale infrastructure projects Italy needs to unlock the blue economy, and Italy’s role in Europe’s Global Gateway and in the Mattei Plan, the government’s strategy for the Mediterranean and Africa. A forum led by the organizer’s newsroom with the Ministry for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, eight Italian port system authorities (Genoa and Savona, Civitavecchia, La Spezia and Marina di Carrara, Palermo, Trieste, Venice, Ancona, and Ravenna), the Superior Council of Public Works, the Italian Transport Regulation Authority (ART), the Coast Guard, the leaders of the port authorities’, shipowners’, freight forwarders’, and ship agents’ associations, and leading construction and infrastructure groups and the national rail and road operators.

How risk management and insurance underpin investment, trade, and innovation across maritime transport, infrastructure, energy, and tourism, in an evolving landscape of geopolitical, environmental, and technological risk, with protection and indemnity clubs, marine insurers, and brokers.

Subsea cables and offshore energy are the invisible backbone of the global economy and the new frontier for robotics, resilience, and defense: a cross-sector look at how technology, industry, and security are joining forces to build, monitor, and protect the critical infrastructure of the ocean, with the national underwater hub, a shipbuilding group, the Ligurian marine technology district, the Italian Navy, and a classification society.

MSC Cruises presents its 2026 Global Shore Excursions Awards, recognizing the tour operators and destination partners that deliver the best shore experiences to its guests around the world, in a ceremony hosted by the MSC Cruises shore excursions team.

Access to capital for innovation, infrastructure, fleet modernization, and the sustainable transition: how banks finance the blue economy, with executives of major Italian and international banks and of the national promotional institution, and conclusions from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

A session run by the Liguria Region on maritime education and the new Liceo del Mare, the high-school track dedicated to the sea and its professions: how schools, training institutions, and companies can work together to bring young people into the blue economy, with the regional government and the education and training community. 

Intermodality between high-speed rail, ports, and airports, and the logistics of passenger travel across Italy and the Mediterranean, in a one-on-one conversation with a leading figure of Italian rail and travel.

Coastal and maritime tourism as a driver of growth, employment, and investment, and how it can keep growing sustainably, with the global travel and tourism industry body, the cruise industry’s global association, the Italian Ministry of Tourism and ministers of tourism from other Mediterranean and Adriatic countries, cruise line leaders, the association of Mediterranean cruise ports, and the host city and region.

A workshop run by Spediporto, the Genoa association of freight forwarders and customs brokers, on the role of freight forwarding and customs services in the competitiveness of the port and of its logistics chain.

The people behind the blue economy: education, training, workforce development, and talent attraction, including the seafarers’ voice, with a shipowner bringing the demand side, universities, maritime academies and training institutions, seafarers’ unions, the Liguria Region and the City of Genoa for the Future Professioni del Mare project, a research center, the international network of women in shipping and trading, and a ship management company.

Integration between sea, rail, and air for passengers and cargo: intermodal connectivity, service quality, and the role of ferries, rail, airlines, and travel companies in Mediterranean mobility, with ferry operators, the national rail operator, an airline, the association for sustainable intermodal logistics, and the host region.

The tools, finance, and support available to help Italian companies invest, internationalize, and pursue opportunities connected to the blue economy, in a workshop hosted by Italy’s export credit and development finance institutions.

The workshop organized by AERO proposes a strategic and operational discussion on the development of offshore renewable energy and the offshore wind industry supply chain in Italy. Bringing together representatives from public institutions, Port System Authorities, industrial operators, and specialized service providers, the roundtable will examine the infrastructural, regulatory, and logistical challenges facing ports and the surrounding regions in supporting the Mediterranean’s energy transition.

The grand closing of the summit: two consecutive panels bringing together the key Italian associations and federations of ports, logistics, shipping, and the wider blue economy, led by the organizer’s newsroom, and a closing keynote by the Italian Government.