Port of Imperia, Gandolfo: No to "breaking up" the port. A unified blockade is needed.

After Revocation of the end-of-2025 tender and the opening of a new market consultationThe future of the Marina di Imperia is in a phase that could bring about significant change, promising less bureaucracy and more business, but with the public's backing. SUPER YACHT 24 interviewed Stefano Gandolfo, the company's sole director, to understand what's happening behind the scenes of this €159 million operation.

Dr. Gandolfo, what did the revocation of the previous call for proposals dictated by new European regulations mean for you?

"The EU Court of Justice ruling on pre-emption forced us to reconsider, but it was listening to the market that made the difference. After revoking the tender, we received expressions of interest from very solid groups. Their perspective is different from what we had initially envisioned."

What are international investors asking for?

The City Council's initial approach was to split the project into several parts based on the number of interested investors: separate lots for the gas station, shipyard, moorings, and the hotel. We've realized that this solution isn't popular with large groups. Those investing similar amounts want to manage a single, coherent block to ensure the operation's profitability. That's why we're gathering their wishes and then proposing a new, specific approach to the City Council.

If a private company takes over management of almost the entire port, what will happen to the Marina di Imperia, a public company?

The public company will retain the concession, which will not be sold off or transferred. The private entity will be a 'developer' with a management and procurement contract pursuant to Article 45 bis of the Navigation Code. But there is one fixed point: Marina di Imperia will continue to exist and provide basic services, starting with mooring. We will not be just an empty shell, but the guarantor of the concession and public services.

There's talk of a division between "social boating" and "luxury boating." How will the berths be divided?

The Municipality will maintain direct control over the social boating sector (boats up to 10 meters) and the Calata Anselmi, which is used for major city events such as the Vele d'Epoca (Vintage Sails). We're talking about approximately 50% of the total berths, which total 1.200. All the rest, namely boats from 10 to 90 meters, will be managed by the investor. This is where the economic value lies, allowing us to finance the onshore works, and for this reason the investors have asked us to guarantee a greater number of berths, compared to the previous tender, in order to achieve greater profitability and consequently complete the onshore works. Therefore, at the moment the investors, who are all operators that manage marinas, are individually interested in a single block that includes, in addition to the berths, the distributor, the shipyard, the real estate, and the services. As mentioned, we will exclude from the block only the social boating sector, the Calata Anselmi area, and the mooring service, which will remain public. Whoever has This 65-year concession will still be able to privately expand the offering of ancillary and hospitality services.”

Speaking of onshore works, what is the current situation in the technical areas and construction sites?

"Whoever currently manages the construction sites has expired and will have to vacate the area; we've already sent letters to vacate the premises. The new project involves an expansion and complete transformation of the construction site, which will become much larger and more modern, and will be relocated. The current operators may eventually participate in the tender in a consortium with others, but the area must now be vacated to allow for the redevelopment."

Why did you decide to abandon long-term berth sales in favor of periodic rentals?

"This is an inevitable shift dictated by the market. Today, megayacht owners prefer to rent, which allows them to choose whether to stay in Imperia for two or three years and then move to Antibes. Large groups that manage international marinas prefer to rotate their boats rather than lock in berths with thirty-year sales. For investors, lease-based management is much more profitable in the long run. We've conducted market research that confirms this trend: investors generally already manage multiple marinas and have very high occupancy rates, sometimes exceeding 100%. They also manage their boats on lease, facilitating their transfers from one of their ports to another."

Do the political controversies and legal appeals of the past worry you in view of the tender at the end of 2026?

We're very confident. Some suspension requests have already been rejected, and our lawyers are working to quickly resolve the outstanding issues with the previous owners of the berths. We hope to secure the assignment by the end of the year, with a clear and secure legal framework for anyone who wants to invest in Imperia.

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