Among the 25 nominated "Cavaliere del Lavoro" (an Italian prestigious State decoration), also Elio Matacena, Neapolitan-Sicilian ship owner and President of the "Caronte and Tourist S.p.A." appears. The decoration is obtained in concomitance with the 40 year anniversary of when the private ferry lines of the Messina Straits began as an alternative to the State-owned Railways Ferry line F.S.. In June 1965, in fact, the Caronte S.p.A.'s first ferry boat, the "Marina di Scilla" left the Calabrian shore opening a daily service. Now it has reached 96 runs per day. This has meaningfully contributed to the economic growth of the region ensuring a more constant nation-wise geographic continuity. Nowadays, thanks to those "sea-highways", strongly supported by the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi - which connects Messina to Salerno, the "Caronte & Tourist" confirms its attitude to resolving mobility problems in Italy. The ferry lines company was launched by a merger of two operating private companies in the Straits, the Franza family-owned "Tourist" company, chaired by Olga Franza, "Cavaliere del Lavoro" also, and the "Caronte" Company. In the future there will be a reinforcement of the sea-highway runs, with the use of new advanced ferries.
Born in Naples in 1924, Elio Matacena attended a college in the German Canton of Switzerland, taking in 1945 a degree in Law at the University of Naples "Federico II".
Keen on innovative technologies in the environmental field, in the last 20 years, with "Ponte di Archimede S.p.A." he has encouraged the use of a homonymous sort of submerged floating tunnel, which is based on the hydrostatic force coming from the Archimede's principle, an innovative typology for fixed links across straits and lakes. The Mr Matacena's constant commitment in the scientific field has come up to advantageous relations with the People’s Republic of China Government. The beginning of the SIJLAB (Sino-Italian Joint Laboratory) took place last April.
It is a joined laboratory partly funded by the Italian Foreigh Office, for the design of the prototype of Archimede's Bridge in the Lake of Thousand Islands, south of Shanghai. The SIJLAB joins in alliance "Ponte di Archimede S.p.A." with striking academic and scientific institutions, like the Chinese Academy of Science, the Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Naples "Federico II".
Another innovative project belonging to "Ponte di Archimede S.p.A." shows Mr Elio Matacena in his capacity of inventor. In fact he is the person who patented the Kobold vertical axis turbine, which is capable of producing electricity from marine current force. It has been three years by now that a platform with a Kobold prototype (to which the CNR Institute of Messina "Nicola Giordano" gives its scientific contribution) has been active in the Straits of Messina. This is the only site in Italy provided wit relatively strong and constant currents. Ideal location are elsewhere, specially in Asia. The UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), a United Nations Office devoted to promoting industrial sustainable growth in developing countries, has decided to implement Kobold turbine's installation. This means that places like Archipelagos of the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines and Indonesia will be supplied with clean and renewable energy consequently emancipating the inhabitants from their subordination to polluting electricity-generating groups. A funding specifically for Indonesia is being evaluated for the dissemination of Kobold farms for the after tsunami reconstruction. Mr Elio Matacena's "Cavaliere del Lavoro" decoration gives him great satisfaction, added to the other experienced in March last year. In fact the ship owner-inventor was awarded by the People’s Republic of China Government during the 2004 International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Award. He's the only entrepreneur in the world to have received an award considered by the Chinese authorities, the most important governmental recognition for international candidates.
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