TRIESTE – His name had been circulating for a while, and the appointment was made official in recent days: the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has chosen Matteo Gasparato as the acting commissioner of the Port System Authority of Venice.
At the same time, the ministry has initiated the final steps to appoint the new president of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, which oversees the ports of Venice and Chioggia. In an official communication sent to the President of the Veneto Region, MIT proposed Gasparato for the role.
The Region is now expected to give its opinion on the proposal, which will then be submitted to the relevant parliamentary committees for their final assessment.
“Until the ordinary governing bodies are reestablished, Mr. Gasparato is appointed, by an additional decree, acting commissioner of the same Authority, effective July 11, 2025,” reads a statement from the Ministry.
Matteo Gasparato, currently president of the “Quadrante Europa” inland terminal in Verona and of the Italian Union of Inland Terminals (UIR), thus succeeds Fulvio Lino Di Blasio, who had been leading the Authority and was serving under extension after the expiration of his official mandate. As emphasized by the Venice port community (a consortium representing the main port operators in Venice), Gasparato now faces a long list of priorities to revitalize the port and build on the achievements of Di Blasio.
Maintenance of the Malamocco-Marghera canal, management of the Trezze 2 island, development of the North Canal quay, the Montesyndial container terminal, and the restoration of depths in the Vittorio Emanuele canal are among the key issues awaiting the new commissioner.
«On behalf of the Venice port community (Vpc), I would like to thank the president of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority – Ports of Venice and Chioggia, Fulvio Lino Di Blasio, for his cooperation over the past years. It has been a challenging journey, and we appreciated his constant willingness to engage in dialogue,» wrote Vpc president Davide Calderan.
«Now, the Venetian port sector is likely to undergo a phase of transition, which we hope will be characterized by open dialogue and the integration of all the expertise that makes this one of Italy’s most prominent port systems. We welcome commissioner Matteo Gasparato, confident that he will do everything in his power to ensure a thriving future for the port and for Venice itself,» Calderan added.
Vpc expressed its willingness to initiate a constructive dialogue aimed at ensuring that all workers and the Authority can “row in the same direction” and hopes to meet with the new head of the port soon.
