A 660 million Euro plan for the ports of MarcheFeb 08

The ports plan, which was just approved by the Marche Region, will bring public and private investments to 660 million Euros. This prediction comes following the yes of the regional assembly to the programming document, which involves 8 facilities: Pesaro, Fano, Senigallia, Ancona, Numana, Civitanova, Porto San Giorgio and San Benedetto del Tronto. Marche is one of the first Italian regions to equip itself with a ports plan. The programming will be implemented through the individual port regulatory plans, which will govern businesses, passenger services, the shipbuilding industry, fishing, tourism and yachting. With respect to investment forecasts, the Regional Councillor Gianluca Carrabs indicated that "public [resources] will have to concentrate on strategic infrastructures of regional interest, while private resources will have to favour specialised structures, such as shipbuilding, fishing, trade and passenger services, under the state system. Amongst the changes included in the plan is an increase in berths, which will go from 5,550 to 9,500 to support nautical tourism.