Toremar (Italy) Receives Pre-Award of Ferry Contract for the Tuscan Islands

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 2, the Tuscany Region of Italy confirmed that the tender for maritime public transport connecting the Tuscan Islands has completed its pre-award stage — the evaluation committee has formulated an award proposal, and the subsequent checks required under Italy's Public Contracts Code have also been passed, with Toremar being the pre-award recipient. The new contract is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027, seamlessly following the expiry of the current "bridge contract" on December 31, 2026.

Pre-award does not equal final award. Only one procedural obstacle remains: the assessment of fuel costs. The tender was published in June 2025, with a bid deadline of December 18, 2025, at which time the effects of the Middle East crisis and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had not yet manifested; subsequent fuel price increases have altered the economic framework at the time of bidding. The Tuscany Region stated that this is not a re-tender or a modification of conditions, but rather the application of tools already available under the procedure to correctly value fuel costs, while maintaining discounted fares for residents and avoiding service cuts. The Region is also assessing whether additional budgetary resources are needed to cover the cost increase for 2027–2028.

The total value of the concession listed in the tender documents is EUR 789 million, which is an estimate of total revenue over the nearly 12-year contract period, comprising both public funding and ticket revenue, and is not a lump-sum amount paid by the Region. Of this, the Region's annual public funding is approximately EUR 16 million (excluding VAT), totaling approximately EUR 192.7 million over 12 years; the remaining approximately EUR 596 million comes from ticket revenue. By comparison, Toremar's current contract has a 2025 operating plan of 242,950.40 nautical miles, with contract compensation of EUR 15,967,367.95; the new contract is significantly larger in both duration and compensation scale.

Only one operator participated in the entire tender process: Toremar, the existing operator (the "incumbent"). The service covers the Tuscan Islands: daily connections to Elba, Capraia, and Giglio; weekly connections to Gorgona, Pianosa, and Giannutri.