The Port of Ravenna in Italy began accepting ships drawing up to 11 metres at suitable berths on Tuesday, October 20, under an experimental ordinance issued by the local harbourmaster.
Ordinance 139/2026 took effect immediately. It permits daytime berthing with a favourable tide at quays previously limited to a maximum authorised draught of 10.80 metres. These are the Bunge, Italterminali, Marcegaglia Vecchia, Eurodocks and Trattaroli Ovest quays
Operators must submit an authorisation request to the harbourmaster at least 10 days before the intended berthing. Ships drawing more than 10.80 metres must carry two pilots for entry and mooring. After the buoys are in place, the trial results will be assessed for a possible permanent extension to 11 metres.
The harbourmaster's decision followed successful entries by ships drawing 10.80 metres and bathymetric surveys submitted by the port authority on October 15.
The trial follows dredging and quay upgrades completed under the first phase of the Ravenna port hub programme. These works dredged the Candiano and Baiona canals to 12.50 metres and the approach channel to 13.50 metres.
Port authority president Francesco Benevolo said the work allows the port, "to receive ships with greater draught and substantially higher cargo capacity." The authority's next target is a seabed depth of 12.5 metres.
The Municipality of Ravenna said an additional 20 centimetres of draught can allow a 200-metre ship to carry more than 1,500 additional tonnes of cargo.
The port handled an estimated 20.5 million tonnes of cargo from January to September 2026. This was 1.4 per cent more than in the same period of 2025.