2023 May June Marina World

DRYSTACK STORAGE
Marina Arenella is perhaps the largest
and most efficient drystack in Italy and is
located at the northern end of Sicily’s Gulf
of Palermo.
Wet versus dry in the
western Med
The western Mediterranean, although a favourite international boating
destination, is not big on drystack. Due to rules, laws, limited land space and
customer preference, just a few in fact exist – and these are mostly uncovered
or only active in the summer season. Donatella Zucca reports
Roberto Perocchio, president of
Italian marina association Assomarinas,
explains: “Average Italians, and maybe
‘Mediterraneans’ in general, don’t like
being restricted by times and rules.
The freedom of having a boat on the
water tends to outweigh the advantages
offered by a traditional drystack.”
Exceptions to this trend may be found
in urban situations where demand for
berths exceeds availability but it is
nonetheless difficult to modify urban
planning, obtain permits or construct
drystacks at existing marinas (where
sufficient land is not usually available)
or build them from scratch.
Variety in Italy
Although it enjoys a central
Mediterranean position, a long
coastline, many islands and a number
of well-equipped marinas, drystacks are
a rarity in Italy. This is surprising given
the excellent health of its marina sector,
which according to Confindustria
Nautica enjoyed a turnover of around
€1 billion in 2022. In the last ten years,
the country has been enriched by 40
marinas and 22,000 berths but, in
part due to the challenges of finding
sites and obeying laws, drystack
development has been difficult.
“Combining a building with access
to the sea is always very complex,”
Perocchio says. “If a suitable building
exists and you can get permission for
change of use, this is easier than trying
to build new; a mission that is almost
impossible due to laws that protect the
coast.”
In years past it was easier, as can
be found at the Consorzio Cantieristica
Minore della Giudecca in Venice, where
a state-of-the-art covered drystack
storage operation was created years
ago in the historic city centre. Venice
is, however, on the Adriatic – and the
Adriatic veers more to the east than
the west. Perocchio continues: “With
Confindustria Nautica, we are trying to
explore this type of service by appealing
to Article 49 of the New Pleasure
Boating Code, which favours the issue
of concessions for dry storage. However,
the problems of slow urban planning,
the scrutiny of various superintendents
and other delays remains. Many
operations have in fact been developed
with only partial permissions, gradually
establishing themselves and then
obtaining an amnesty.”
Most Italian drystacks are to be
found in the south, especially in Sicily,
although they are often variations on
the theme. The largest and perhaps
most efficient is Marina Arenella at
the northern end of Sicily’s Gulf of
Palermo. Equipped with three forklifts
to rapidly lift, launch and store boats
up to 13m (43ft) in length, the facility
houses around 230 boats, 180 of which
are stored on multi-storey racks, 30 in
a covered building and the remainder
on outdoor
dry storage
space. In the
summer, about
100 wet berths
are available.
“During our
30 years of
experience,
we have
Assomarinas.
revolutionised the concept of the dry
port,” says marina manager Massimo
Acierno. “Customers can use their
boats 24 hours a day, seven days a
week because, once launched, the boat
can stay in the water as long as the
customer wants.”
“In recent years, we have developed
software that allows you to book a lift
or launch, make special requests etc.,
via a smartphone. The requests arrive
via the app on displays located on
the forklifts and in the back office. The
customer
is then told
where to
find the boat
and given
details on
the services
provided
by smart
pedestals.
We have car
parking, bar,
Roberto Perocchio,
Massimo Acierno,
Marina Arenella.
restaurant services, Wi-Fi, fuel, mooring
assistance, a mechanical repair shop
and shipyard. If we had a quay big
enough to host a US-style drystack, we
would be truly unbeatable!”
Other dry ports in Catania include the
Nautica Glem dry rack business and
Vento Maestrale opposite the entrance
to the port of Trapani. This efficient dry
port caters for dinghies and small boats.
Marina Capo d’Orlando has a beautiful
drystack facility at planning stage but
is not moving forward with it as it is
devoting all its usable yard space to
large boat storage.
www.marinaworld.com – May/June 2023
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