Now, nobody has seriously thought that this column could go without an anniversary? As the journal has been itself transcending borders, so does Transport miscellany.

In 1969, Angelo Ravano established Contship to familiarise Italy with the containerisation, selling the novelty with the "We Bring the Ship to Your Factory" pitch.

The same year the company's first liner service kicked off, linking Fos Sur Mer to Casablanca with the use of the 82 TEUs-big Sea Maid.

In 1971, Contship started to operate Italy's first private container terminal in La Spezia. By the end of the 1990s, the company's services reached as far as the both Americas, Australia, the Middle East, and the Pacific.

Contship, nowadays part of Eurokai, currently operates six sea container terminals (La Spezia, Cagliari, Ravenna, Salerno, Gioia Tauro, and Tangier) and the Milan-Melzo inland facility.

Buon compleanno!