FINSEA GROUP
Lack of expertise? WE SOLVE IT!
For over forty years, we have been handling logistics and port procedures; ours is a name etched on Genoa’s wharves. We are people first, a company second. Our heart lies in Genoa, but our business moves cargo from one side of the world to the other.
Originally a shipping agency (for Yang Ming Italy, Medmar Tramp and Intersea), during the course of our history we have also become hauliers (Mto, Silt), intermodal logistics operators (Logtainer), forwarders and customs specialists (Sat).
In a former life we were terminal operators (Terminal Sech, Terminal Darsena Toscana, Terminal Rinfuse Italia, Voltri Terminal Europa, Vecon). Now we have opted to invest in shipbuildinga and repair (Genova Industrie Navali) as well as cabotage (Blu Navy). We wear Slam, an all-Genoese story of salt and passion.
We have long been committed to the local area, and we help solve the problems affecting our sector. We also play a part in drafting local and national policies with the active role we play in trade associations and federations. These include Assagenti, Federagenti, Spediporto, Fedespedi, Anita, Confitarma, Alis, Confetra, Conftrasporto, Confindustria and Assiterminal.
Our commercial strength and our experience reside in Finsea, the Group we have been a part , like SAT, of for over forty years now
We have always been one of the biggest players in Genoa: our chairman, Luigi Negri, knows everything there is to know about the history of our port, of the many events that have unfolded on our wharf:
“In the late Eighties, we represented Yang Ming in Italy, and I was always worried about the port. It was constantly getting blocked by the ‘war’ between the consortiums and the port workers; Roberto D’Alessandro, who was the president of the port, came with me to Taipei to reassure my ship operator. And the rest, as they say, was history.”
In the early Nineties, a law reforming Italy’s laws was passed. It was law 84/94, a law many are familiar with. Rinaldo Magnani was the Chairman, and he set about privatising the quays; it was a new hurdle for Finsea to overcome. “I was desperate. The port hadn’t had any work for four months, it was being held to ransom by the port workers, so we had to unload in Hamburg, load up again at Anvers then take everything to Genoa by train to make sure the ship operator was being served properly. In the end I went to speak to Magnani, and I asked him for the terminal; they could hardly believe their ears. I remember leaving the port Consortium that evening and holding my head in my hands and asking myself, “Now what am I going to do?”
The Sech terminal was the first private terminal in Italy’s ports. It was an entrepreneurial adventure bravely embarked upon with partners Cerruti, Magillo and Schenone. “Communication with the Chief of the port workers, Paride Batini, was always animated. But he was a real old-timer: there was never any need to sign a contract with him, he was always as good as his word, no matter what it took.” Alongside the terminal, Finsea was also making its first forays into local and national trade associations; first the maritime agents, then the terminal operators’ association in Confindustria (Italy’s main manufacturing and service company association). “We got embroiled in plenty of battles together. Every evening, I’d head down to the port Authorities to talk things over with the chairman, Giuliano Gallanti, and the secretary Sandro Carena, about the issues facing terminal operators. We always found a solution, like when the government cut our funds for dredging, and in half a day we had solved the problem thanks to the support of the freight forwarders, back when Piero Lazzeri was their boss.”
Thanks to this wealth of experience, we are now one of the most reputable businesses in the area, a benchmark company for authorities at every level, and the sector’s main stakeholders; we operate on a national level, and put our knowhow at everyone’s disposal to help solve any issues arising in our port, and to map out local and national policies through our trade associations.
Through its shareholding in Spediporto (Genoa’s trade association for freight forwarders)
Sat, in particular, worked alongside the IT company which developed the e-port computer system which, from 2008 onwards, revolutionised the way documents are handled in Genoa port. To this day it remains one of the industry’s strongest proponents for implementing the system. The digitalisation processes have also led to it becoming involved in developing the Cargo project (now known as Aida) of the Customs Agency, for which we provided consultancy on dematerialising documents
Over the years, our Group has grown and diversified: after 24 years in the business, we moved away from terminal work, with the exception of Livorno’s CILP terminal, where we still operate. We have also invested in shipbuilding with the Garrè and Bisagno families, which own two of the Mediterranean’s finest repairs, refitting and new constructions outfits: San Giorgio del Porto and T. Mariotti.
Together with Finsea, we established Genova Industrie Navali, of which the sites at Piombino and Marseille are now also a part. In 2017 the Group acquired a majority stake in SILT, the time-honoured haulage company, and began to branch into logistics. This rounded off the services already offered by Logtainer, the north-west’s leading multimodal business, and by MTO, the Group’s logistical wing.
Finsea ensures we have a network of trusted partners throughout the logistics chain, extending our services to cover storage, road, rail and sea transportation, admin assistance and repairs, and allowing us to offer them to our customers.
Customers Reviews
When it comes to Spediporto’s sea freight companies, the knowhow of Sat Vice Chairman Giulio Baer has long provided a crucial benchmark. Their extensive work on issues such as preclearing, PMIS, VGM and much more comes to mind. The sector is highly technical and calls for outstanding skill. Sat has always proven it is up-to-date with technological developments and regulatory evolutions; so much so it is a reference point, not just on a local level, but for Italy as a whole.
An outstanding team and impeccable organisation, featuring professionalism, reliability and skill. But what really counts is the passion they all put into their work, ensuring we do not encounter obstacles in our work.
At Holcim Italiam we see SAT- Ship assistance and transit – as a competent and reliable partner, whose prompt, can-do attitude when it comes to operations makes them stand out.
Sat has always stood for knowhow, promptness and a can-do attitude, with the “plus point” of the human touch which has evolved over the many years we have worked together.
Sat is a cohesive group with sound leadership. Its people are always willing to help, and over the last two years they have increased their competences, particularly where “ship assistance” is concerned. As for freight, they have always been, and still remain, at the cutting edge.
I often turn to them for consultation regarding the “cargo” sector, and their answers are always precise, reliable and professional.
The nature of our ties makes Sat more of a partner than a supplier to us.
Sat combines its knowhow and professional approach with a relationship built on trust. This allows us to work with peace-of-mind, knowing we are dealing with people capable of tackling the situations that crop up in our line of work each day. The team has a kind, helpful approach which enables them to run the business successfully.
Contact us
Via Santa Chiara, 2/10 16128 Genova
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