Kalypso: the only entirely Italian shipping company engaged in long-haul services to and from the Far East and the USA is still growing. Almost two years after its first voyage, Kalypso, a company of the Rif Line group, renews its goal of reducing navigation times by offering Italian companies punctuality and reliability.

"As the only container carrier flying the Italian flag, we feel the responsibility and privilege to be bearers of the values of our country in the world and to represent it in the ports where we call over. – Says Gianfranco Gazzolo, CEO of Kalypso – For us the tricolor, understood as a business culture, plays a decisive role in the development of the company and the definition of shipping routes, which are always strategic for the economic growth of the country. We are very careful to listen to the needs of the Italian market, so we could be defined as a strategic vector for the growth and promotion of Made in Italy".

A dedicate route for the Italian fashion industry

Satements confirmed by the performances that the company has recorded on the routes where Kalypso is traveling. Although on the China-Italy route it has recorded enviable performances even by the big carriers, it is above all on services from Bangladesh and the United States that Kalypso has been able and continues to express the best in terms of reliability and speed.

Just one year after the first direct operation of the container ship on the Bangladesh-Italy route, which paved the way for new commercial agreements, Kalypso has more than halved transit times, and has become a real reference point for all companies that have commercial agreements between the two countries.

The new sea route was established to support Italian importers of clothing. An initiative carried out also thanks to the contribution of the Embassy of Bangladesh in Rome, which worked closely with the Kalypso staff to make everything more efficient and frequent, facilitating bilateral trade with Italy, the sixth destination of Bangladesh's exports, with a two-way trade volume of about 2.3 billion dollars.

Last October, the shipping company led by Gianfranco Gazzolo pointed its bow at the United States and landed in New York, connecting Italy from Salerno and La Spezia and Spain from Sagunto, once again with direct services and fast transit times. Also in this case the company had as its first objective to put at the center of its strategies the many companies that export the great Italian excellences to the United States.

But this is not the only news for the company. The Butterfly service operates on the Intramed route, which, crossing the Mediterranean, allows rapid transit times between goods arriving or departing between Italy and Turkey.

Burgundy, the new ship

And it is with the acquisition of the Burgundy, a ship with a carrying capacity of 3,500 TEU, that Kalypso testifies to believe in this market by flying the flag of the Italian merchant navy and in our tricolor with the coats of arms of the maritime republics. Through this operation Kalypso intends to increase its fleet, currently composed of three ships and pursue the goal of equipping itself with modern ships to further consolidate the group's positioning in the world logistics landscape.

Also for 2023 Italy will be at the center of Kalypso's strategies, which aims to offer its customers direct connections to and from the most important markets, offering express services and reduced transit times.

"Today our industry is facing a difficult historical period. First covid, now also the conflict in Ukraine, which, beyond the strictly humanitarian and social aspects, represents a considerable obstacle for the transit of goods. – Adds Francesco Isola, President of KCN – Transport rates began to decrease only during the third quarter of 2022, but the company's activity still managed to improve its commercial and operational performance, and today we are among the first companies in the freight forwarders and customs operations agencies sector, seventh among the companies in the sector with the highest growth index. For 2023 Rif Line will continue to offer new services, always in the name of innovation, and we expect new openings in emerging markets that will allow us to consolidate our commitment to offering customized solutions, expanding the boundaries with services that are increasingly close to market needs".