Our Terminal

The Vado Port System is made up of two well integrated terminals: APM Terminals' existing Reefer Terminal and its new semi-automated terminal, the Vado Gateway.

With the launch of Vado Gateway in 2019, Vado Ligure became the first semi-automated port in Italy with a fully-automated gate and stacking yard  The Vado Ligure Port Complex is one of the most competitive terminals in Europe, combining innovation, automation, intermodal connectivity and the ability to offer fully integrated and complex services such as cold storage, project cargo, Ro-Ro and intermodal transport.

An off-dock rail facility for both port terminals (4 lanes, 450m length) provides rapid access to central and northern Europe such as Switzerland, Germany and France, as well as regions in Northern Italy, such as Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. The facility has the capacity for 14 trains per day. Plans are already underway to increase capacity with the expansion of the current tracks to 750m before 2026.

The Vado Ligure Port complex is accessible via 14 reversible gate lanes. Maximum efficiency and short truck-turn-times of around 30 minutes are achieved using a truck appointment system which is fully integrated with Terminal Operating System. As trucks arrive at the port, the license plate of the vehicle and the container number are registered using optical character recognition (OCR). If all previously submitted documentation is complete, the truck is automatically granted access to operating areas. 

Vado Port System Benefits

• Single point of entry for both the Reefer and Vado Gateway terminals
• Single custom's area to increase convenience and efficiency
• Off-dock rail facility for both port terminals (4 lanes, 450 m length)
• Innovative truck appointment system in Vado Gateway to avoid gate congestion
• No physical restrictions for ULCVs in Vado Gateway
• Gate and Yard efficiency through automation in Vado Gateway

Reefer Terminal

Reefer Terminal is the leading fruit terminal on the Mediterranean Sea. Located in a customs bonded area, volumes of fresh products handled by the terminal have increased from 82,000 pallets in 1982, when it became operational, to around 600,000 pallets in  recent years.

Bananas and pineapples account for the majority of these volumes, with the remainder made up of kiwi, citrus and other fruits from New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America.

The terminal has 3 deep-sea Berths. The main quay is 470m long with 14.10m draft, the fruit quay is 240m in length with a 10m draft.

The Reefer Terminal's doors are only 50m from the quay, providing an optimal cold chain process. The 24,000 sqm reefer warehouse is equipped with 14 independent cells with controlled temperatures (from -2 to +14 centigrade) and 4 conditioned areas, for a total storage capacity of 10,000 pallets. Thanks to its close position to the quay, Reefer Terminal can serve both Reefer Container and Reefer Bulk vessels.

The Reefer Terminal is AEO certified (n. IT AEOF 17 1344) and since 2014 it has had organic certification.

Roll-on roll-off berth

The terminal has a specialist 200m roll-on roll-off berth with 9m draft. The quay has access to the port complex rail system, connecting motorail trains with key markets in Northern Italy and beyond. Together with Vehicle Logistics Vado, which offers secure areas tailored for FVL (Finished Vehicle Logistic) operations close to the Vado Ligure port complex, Vado offers a compelling alternative to Northern European ports and can provide a fully integrated supply chain for vehicle logistics into Europe.

Vado Gateway

The Vado Gateway Terminal opened on 12 December 2019 and is fully integrated with the existing Vado Ligure Reefer Terminal. Vado Ligure is the first semi-automated port in Italy with a fully-automated gate and stacking yard. The 700m deep-sea berth at Vado Gateway is capable of handling the latest Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) and up to 1.1 mln TEUs per annum. Learn more: 'Vado Gateway Launched to Key Customers'.