ARS Altmann expands vehicle logistics capacity with Ravenna and Civitavecchia port terminals 

As part of a long-term strategy to expand and consolidate its finished vehicle logistics network across Europe, ARS Altmann is opening a new automotive terminal in Ravenna, in the northeast of Italy on the Adriatic coast, as part of a comprehensive multimodal strategy. This development complements the company’s growing presence in Civitavecchia, on the Tyrrhenian coast near Rome, where it is expanding capacity to support rising vehicle import volumes and strengthening national rail distribution links. The move marks a major milestone for the family-owned logistics company in its 50th year of operations and reflects its focus on sustainable, vertically integrated logistics.

The new terminal in Ravenna is set to begin operations in July 2025 and is designed as an open-access port facility for multiple shipping lines, with a draft of 12.5m and quay capacity for vessels up to 40m wide, allowing access for the largest class of PCTC vessels.

The ARS port terminal in Ravenna is operated by ASIA S.r.l., a joint venture between ARS Altmann and Gruppo Sapir, the main terminal operator for the port of Ravenna. In Civitavecchia, meanwhile, the group is expanding its operations through CANADA S.r.l., a joint venture between ARS Altmann and CFFT SPA, a logistics and freight forwarder at the port.

Massimo Ringoli, chief operating officer in Italy for ARS Altmann and managing director of the ASIA S.r.l. joint venture, pointed to the port’s strategic location for shipping between Europe and Asia: “Such infrastructure allows our port terminal to be a consistent and reliable solution for deep sea flows between Europe and Asia.”

According to Dr Maximilian Altmann, chief executive officer at ARS Altmann, the new Ravenna terminal is more than a port facility, and reflects a strong integration of services, including the company’s own rail wagons and traction, terminal and value-added operations. “It’s a further enhancement of our ‘door-to-door’ strategy, allowing our customers to rely on a single operator managing a fully owned supply chain – including port operations, long haul rail transportation to-and-from major European locations, vehicles handling, last mile distribution and digital services – all delivered transparently and efficiently.”

The site is already fully rail-connected with three separate backup lines and has test handled more than 200 trains and around 40,000 vehicles since pilot operations began in March 2023. From September 2025, the new terminal area – located at peninsula “Trattaroli” within the port of Ravenna – will open with an initial capacity for storing 6,000 vehicles, with plans to expand to 20,000 by 2028.

With strong rail links to automotive production regions in central and southeast Europe, as well as to major markets across the continent, ARS Altmann’s leadership sees the port as the most suitable location to enhance more efficient and lean logistics between Europe and Asia.

“Vessels coming from Asia or the Middle East can save up to three weeks of sailing time by calling at Ravenna instead of northern Europe,” said Dr Altmann. By consolidating flows at Ravenna and moving them by rail, ARS Altmann can reduce congestion, emissions and lead times across the board.

A rail-first, vertical strategy

The Ravenna terminal is part of ARS Altmann’s wider vertical integration strategy across its European network. The company owns and operates a fleet of more than 4,000 specialised open and closed rail wagons. In 2024, it established Altmann Rail Traction (ART) as an in-house traction provider, managing its own locomotives and enabling independent traction across key corridors. ARS Altmann also manages two major rail marshalling yards in Bremen and Munich, Germany coordinating rail operations across Germany, Italy, Austria, and into Central and Eastern Europe. At Ravenna, the company manages wagon movements, shunting, and schedules directly, delivering end-to-end transparency, performance, and responsiveness for both exports and imports.

With more than 850 car carriers in its truck fleet, ARS Altmann focuses road transport on short-distance last-mile delivery – usually no more than 300km – while relying on rail for long-haul, high-volume movements. Its compounds in Germany, Italy, Czechia, Poland and Romania serve as key hubs for buffering and distributing vehicles.

The company has also invested in low- and zero-emission technology. In Germany, it operates a fleet of 20 electric trucks in full operation for vehicle distribution supported by its own charging infrastructure. In Italy, key compounds such as its facility in Lonato, located between Milan and Venice, are now powered by solar energy. Lonato is ARS Altmann’s first fully solar-powered compound, with a planned generating capacity of 24MW by 2026 – enough to supply a neighbouring steel factory and support EV logistics processing on site.

Flows in and out of Ravenna

ARS Altmann’s terminal at the port of Ravenna offers a combined logistics concept, bringing rail and port operations together, as well as link to regional compounds.

The port terminal’s potential is enhanced by the ARS modern wagon fleet, which provides necessary capabilities to manage high volume flows in combination with the rail traction company, which ARS Altmann said guarantees a stable and reliable network for its customers.

Ravenna is ideally accessible from all European locations via a secure, dedicated rail network – through Brennero (in northern Italy in South Tyrol, on the Austrian border) for vehicle flows to and from northern Europe, and via Tarvisio (northeast Italy on the border with Austria and Slovenia) for vehicle flows from central and eastern Europe.

For imports, ARS Altmann’s network allows its customers to distribute their vehicles as efficiently as possible in Central and Southeastern Europe. From Ravenna, the group can reach ARS Altmann’s compounds in Italy, Germany, Poland and Czechia through multimodal flows that combine rail for longer distances and trucks for final delivery.

Civitavecchia plays a complementary role, focusing on vehicles imported especially from Asia for the Italian market. The terminal offers more than 4,000 units of storage and is equipped with a high-capacity vehicle processing centre that handles hundreds of vehicles per day. Regular shuttle trains connect Civitavecchia with inland hubs like Lonato and Piadena (southeast of Milan), ensuring consistent national coverage. Integrated into ARS Altmann’s broader sea, rail and road network, both Ravenna and Civitavecchia support high-frequency, high-volume flows tailored to customer demand.

Open access and private infrastructure

Unlike many other Italian ports, Ravenna offers open access to multiple shipping lines – a deliberate move by ARS Altmann to provide a neutral alternative in a country where several vehicle terminals are closely aligned to or operated by shipping lines. “We are a land operator managing a port terminal,” said Alberto Picco, chief sales officer at ARS Altmann. “That means we are open to serve all shipping lines equally.”

The terminal also has space to expand. The current 350m quay, directly operated by ARS Altmann, will eventually be joined by a second, and plans are in place for the vehicle processing centre (VPC) and washing tunnels to be expanded in phases through 2026 and beyond. Five dedicated rail tracks are being built within the terminal itself to enable faster loading and unloading of trains.

Designed for imports, exports and EV growth

Read more on reducing logistics emissions

Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Altmann strive to close gaps between ambition and reality

During the 50th anniversary celebration of European vehicle logistics providers ARS Altmann, experts from Altmann, BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz discussed strategies to reduce emissions in vehicle logistics.

While ARS Altmann is initially focusing the port of Ravenna on vehicle export flows – especially to support vehicle manufacturers with manufacturing plants based in southern Germany and Central European countries – it is also developing vehicle import flows, including for vehicles destined for the Italian domestic market. The company already manages multiple OEM projects across its compounds in Italy, including those in Lonato and Piadena, both of which will be connected to Ravenna and Civitavecchia via regular shuttle trains.

Importantly, Ravenna is being developed with electric vehicle logistics in mind. Electric vehicle battery charging points will be available within the VPC, with power supplied by renewable energy. The company’s existing facilities across Italy and Germany are already equipped to handle EVs and plug-in hybrids, and the Ravenna terminal will support further growth in this area.

50 years of logistics service – and counting

The Ravenna terminal launch also coincides with ARS Altmann’s 50th anniversary. Founded in 1975, the company has grown from a regional German logistics provider to a pan-European operator specialising in finished vehicle logistics, rail, vehicle logistics centres and sustainable transport solutions.

“Our strategy is more than simply adding port terminals in the Mediterranean to our portfolios, we aim to embrace the full logistics needs of carmakers seeking a capable, competent partner with a strong European footprint,” Picco said. “We want to provide new ideas, new ways to reshape the logistics chain of our clients in a simple and effective way.

“Why Ravenna?” he said. “Because it’s very effective for time, it’s very effective for the reduction of CO₂, and all the operations are managed by us. We are the operator, the control tower, everything. When we discuss with the customer, they know that when they are talking with us, they are talking with one person that is responsible and providing them full transparency for the full logistics chain. Ravenna is completely consolidated and digitalised.”

As the terminal begins official operations in September 2025 and scales up through the year, ARS Altmann’s investment shows that new hubs, when backed by smart infrastructure and sustainable thinking, can shift the centre of gravity in automotive logistics – not by competing with traditional gateways, but by creating new ones.