Genova
UN/LOCODE ITGOA · Italy · Europe · GE
Crew guide
Shore leave
Genoa (Genova) is Italy's principal container port + Mediterranean cruise hub. Standard Schengen. Stella Maris Genova + Mission to Seafarers coordinate. Central Genoa is directly adjacent to the port.
Walking distance + transit
The container terminals (VTE, PSA Genoa Pra') are 15-25 minutes from central Genoa by taxi. The cruise berths at Ponte dei Mille + Ponte Andrea Doria are in the city centre.
Essentials
- ATMs: throughout central Genoa; Piazza De Ferrari has several
- Money changers: Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport + central Genoa
- Hospital: Ospedale San Martino, Ospedale Galliera
- Prayer rooms: Genova Central Mosque (Via Diaz) + district mosques
- Halal food: cluster in the Via di Prè and Sampierdarena districts
- Supermarket: Conad, Coop, Esselunga — most open Sunday morning
- SIM card: TIM, Vodafone, WindTre — any Mediaworld or Iper store
Seafarer tips
Do: eat authentic Ligurian food — pesto genovese, focaccia, farinata. Don't: leave the ship without a good street map or GPS — Genoa's old town is a maze of narrow alleys. Watch for: pickpocketing near the Stazione Principe (main train station) and Via di Prè — historically the roughest area.
Last verified: 2026-07-01. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
Genova (UN/LOCODE ITGOA) is a designated seaport with an adjacent airport in Italy (GE) in the northern European / African Atlantic region. The port operates on Europe/Rome, uses the Euro (EUR), runs shore power at 230V/50Hz (Type C/F/L). Nearest major airport for crew changes is Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport (GOA), 9 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 44.4167, 8.95
- Time zone
- Europe/RomeUTC +01:00observes DST
- Local currency
- EUR— Euro
- Languages
- it
- Nearest airport
- GOAGenoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport~9 km
- Electricity
- 230 V50 Hzplugs C, F, L(country default — verify at berth)
- Climate
- CsaHot-summer Mediterranean
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
- Function codes
- 12345---
seaport · rail terminal · road terminal · airport · postal exchange
- Port authority
- Autorità di Sistema Portuale Mar Ligure Occidentale
Operational details
Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.
P&I correspondents
- · Studi Legali Mordiglia Genoa (Gard, UK Club)
- · Giovannini & Bordo Genoa (Britannia)
- · Pandin Maritime Italy
Port agents
- · Ignazio Messina Agency Genoa
- · Inchcape Italy Genoa
- · GAC Italy
ISPS security level (normal): 1
Italy's largest container and passenger port; mandatory pilotage; vessel movements coordinated with Savona/Vado — same port authority.
Helplines for seafarers in Italy
Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.
- CIRM — Centro Internazionale Radio Medico (Rome)Global · 24/7 · it, en
- ISWAN SeafarerHelpGlobal · 24/7 · en, ar, es, fr
- ISWAN Mental Health & Wellbeing helplineGlobal · 24/7 · en, es, ru, tl
- ITF SeafarersGlobal · 24/7 for emergencies · en
- ISWAN — Family helpline (for relatives of seafarers)Global · 24/7 · en, hi, tl
- ISWAN Yacht Crew HelplineGlobal · 24/7 · en
Other ports in Italy
Port-state-control region: paris MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
Genova: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at Genova?
- Shore leave at Genova is governed by Italy immigration rules, the flag administration's policy, and the port authority's local rules. Seafarers normally need their seaman's book + a shore-leave permit issued by the agent. Confirm with your agent before going ashore — local policy changes frequently.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for Genova?
- Seafarers calling at Genova on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. Italy may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
- Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Genova?
- Yes — 1 seafarer welfare centre is listed for Genova in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
- Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Genova?
- Yes — 6 helplines are listed for Italy in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
- What's the nearest hospital to Genova?
- Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport (GOA), about 9 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is Genova a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — Genova is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.
For the arriving crew
- Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
- Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
- Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
- Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
- Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.
Sources & verification (13)
- country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (IT)retrieved 2026-05-05
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (IT)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (EUR)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (EUR)retrieved 2026-05-05
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (IT)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Europe/Rome)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/Rome)retrieved 2026-05-05
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (IT)retrieved 2026-05-05
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (12345---)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/Rome)retrieved 2026-05-06
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (GOA)retrieved 2026-05-07
- wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1515803)retrieved 2026-05-07
- climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (IT)retrieved 2026-05-07
Last verified
High confidenceEditorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.