"The Mediterranean Shipping Company celebrates its 50th anniversary in this challenging 2020. An extraordinary global achievement by a company unmatched in the world of shipping, thanks to the tenacity and brilliance of a great man. We are proud and honored to be a small part of that beautiful and inspiring Togetherness. We did it all Together."This is the message on LinkedIn where William Munzone extends his New Year’s wishes while recalling a milestone that softens the many challenges of 2020.
A prominent figure in the global maritime sector and well-known in the business world, both in tourism and beyond. His Catania roots and love for Palermo make him a true Sicilian. He has been a travel agent, tour operator, worked for airlines, ventured into the wind energy sector, but his attraction to the sea has always been stronger than anything else. After all, it couldn’t have been otherwise, considering that William Munzone comes from a family of shipowners spanning five generations.
In 2002, MSC Sicilia made its debut as the general agent for the MSC Group, offering the necessary support for container ships and cruise vessels. The market launch was celebrated with a party at Villa Igiea, and Munzone himself plans to repeat this event next year to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary.
"Aponte," recalls Munzone during an interview given to travelnostop.com"Aponte was one of the first pioneers of intermodality. Not by chance, in 2003 MSC became the leading shipping company for container traffic. Today, the company operates ships from all Sicilian commercial ports, offering a crucial service to the island's businesses. And we are the operational arm on the ground; in practice, we are the representatives of the shipowner."
"The port of Palermo," explains Munzone, "has always been crucial for the Aponte group. In the late '80s, when Aponte acquired the Lauro fleet, the first cruises docked in Syracuse, but soon Palermo took on a key role in the turnaround of cruise ships."
MSC's escalation in the island, where it is also present in the ports of Messina and Siracusa, will materialize in the coming days with the agreement for the management of the cruise terminal at the port of Palermo in collaboration with Costa Crociere.
In the meantime, MSC has already planned the construction of 5 ships with a capacity of 5,000 passengers, in addition to the deluxe vessels accommodating around 2,000 passengers, which are aimed at the high-end segment. These ships are expected to focus on smaller ports such as Siracusa and Porto Empedocle.
Over the years, MSC Sicilia has expanded with the opening of branches in Pozzallo, to serve the particularly productive Iblean area, and in Catania, which handles three times the cargo traffic of the entire island. The latest port to be opened was Trapani.
"In the first phase of the post-Covid period," Munzone recalls, "MSC was the first to restart, and the port of Palermo was one of the best for implementing anti-Covid procedures. Now, the company has announced that it will resume sailing on January 24, with departures every Sunday from Genoa and stops in Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo, and Malta. Therefore, the next stop for the MSC Grandiosa in the Sicilian capital is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27."
Munzone is also the regional coordinator of Federlogistica, as well as a member of the Partnership Table of the Port System Authority of the Strait and the Port System Authority of Eastern Sicily.
