The Italian Shipping Academy officially opened the doors of its new headquarters on 18 September, but the international agreements for Italy's largest ITS Foundation dedicated to sustainable mobility were already in place before the ribbon was cut. During the inauguration of Palazzo Tabarca, in the heart of the historic port of Genoa, the Italian Shipping Academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Port of Durrës.
The agreement consolidates an already active cooperation between the two organisations and opens the way to further joint activities in the fields of maritime and port education and professional development. It also builds on work carried out through the Centre of Excellence for Maritime Affairs (CEMA) and IMSSEA — the international division of the Italian Shipping Academy — creating opportunities for specialised training, exchange of expertise and the development of joint professional programmes.
The MoU was signed by Liburn Aliu, Director of the Port of Durrës, and by Eugenio Massolo, President of the Italian Shipping Academy, who stated: «We are pleased to strengthen this partnership and to continue working together to support the development of skills and competencies in the maritime and port sectors».
Academy's international footprint continues to grow year on year. The Italian Shipping Academy is also a member of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU), whose Executive Director, Prof. Takeshi Nakazawa, was among the guests at the inauguration of Palazzo Tabarca.
The Italian Shipping Academy, established in 2005 and recognised as an ITS Foundation, serves as a training connector between secondary education and the world of work in the transport and logistics industries. The new Palazzo Tabarca headquarters is the result of a shared institutional effort between the Foundation and both local and national authorities. In September 2024, a formal agreement was signed between the Municipality of Genoa and the Foundation for the assignment of a portion of the historic Darsena building.
The structure spanning approximately 4,800 square metres across four floors is part of a broader urban regeneration project under Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), with over €18.5 million in government funding allocated to the restoration of the entire Tabarca–Metelino complex.
A further approximately €10 million in PNRR funds has been earmarked specifically for the development of advanced laboratories available to the entire national maritime cluster.
The total public investment, including funds allocated for new training programmes, amounts to approximately €40 million, and will deliver what is set to become the most advanced public maritime simulation centre in the Mediterranean.
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