Neapolitan shipping is mourning the passing of one of the city’s shipowner greats.
Michele D’Amato died over the weekend. He was part of a big shipping clan – the third generation of whom had gone their own ways to pursue new shipping ventures. In 1990 D’Amato founded dry bulk concern D’Amato di Navigazione while his brothers, Luigi and Giuseppe, presided over Fratelli D’Amato and Perseveranza di Navigazione.
Mario Mattioli, chairman of the Italian shipowners association Confitarma, commented on the rise of D’Amato di Navigazione: “As the company grew, so did the prestige and role of the ‘Commandante’ Michele D’Amato on the Italian shipping scene.”
The company, which he ran with his wife and three children, entered extensive restructuring in the wake of the global financial crisis and is today run by his daughter, Maddalena.
“We will all miss his gentle manners and elegance imbued with the totally Neapolitan spirit that accompanies his skills as a great entrepreneur and connoisseur of the maritime world,” Mattioli said.
