Cruises, Palermo consolidates its role: the Sammuzzo terminal inaugurated

Palermo is trying to consolidate its role in the cruise game. The port of the Sicilian capital is increasingly presenting itself as a stable gateway to Mediterranean tourism, with dedicated infrastructures, more orderly services, and a schedule that now looks beyond seasonality. It is within this trajectory that the inauguration of the new Sammuzzo cruise terminal, built in the port of Palermo and managed by West Sicily Gate, the company born from the synergy between Costa Crociere and MSC Cruises and concessionaire of the cruise terminals in the ports of Palermo, Trapani, Porto Empedocle and Termini Imerese, fits in.

Present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were the president of the Western Sicily Sea Port Authority, Annalisa Tardino, the mayor Roberto Lagalla, the president of West Sicily Gate, Anna Masutti, and Antonino Corrao, the company's general manager. The opening of the terminal comes at a time of growth in the national cruise market. According to Cemar Agency Network, in 2026 Italian ports will welcome 15.1 million cruise passengers, 2% more than in 2025. Risposte Turismo, on the other hand, estimates 15.4 million passengers handled and 5,680 berths, with over one billion euros of investment in Italian cruise ports in the three-year period 2026-2028.

In Palermo, the leap is already visible in the numbers. In 2025 the port touched one million cruise passengers, with 996,484 passengers and 284 calls. The programming indicated by the Port Authority is now looking at a further increase: for next year there is talk of around 1.2 million passengers. The new Sammuzzo terminal fits precisely into this growth path, strengthening the airport's operational capacity and allowing Palermo to present itself to the companies with an infrastructure more suited to the new volumes.

For Palermo, however, the game is not only quantitative. The new terminal serves to strengthen the port's reception capacity and, above all, to make the relationship between the port and the city more efficient. "Another important step that has its roots in the past, with a concession given to West Sicily Gate, which we thank for the work it is doing," said Annalisa Tardino. The president of the Port Authority linked the inauguration to a broader strategy: "We are part of a programming process that sees Palermo increasingly playing a leading role in the Mediterranean. We hope to soon be able to close the dialogue that has already begun with Royal Caribbean, which is very interested in the prospect of this new opening. We already have a schedule of around 1.2 million passengers for the year to come'.

The Sammuzzo terminal has 1,300 square metres of indoor space and six control lines for security checks. The facility is designed to handle up to 8,000 passengers. The Sammuzzo quay is one of the most important in Palermo's port: data from the Port Authority indicate 378 metres in length, 9 metres in depth, and 7,750 square metres of surface area. The investment for the construction of the terminal, which was supported by West Sicily Gate with the support of the Port System Authority, amounted to around €1.4 million. "In 2026 we expect a transit of about 160,000 passengers. For next year we expect a volume of 200 thousand passengers," Corrao explained. The terminal will serve the members of West Sicily Gate, hence Costa Crociere and MSC, but also other interested companies. It is expected to be operational as early as Thursday 7 May.