Nighttime bivouacs, threats to staff, blood-stained and unusable restrooms. The "Nino Pala" maritime station, in the commercial port of Porto Torres, has become a permanent hotspot for ticket agents at shipping agencies and the owners of the on-site bar, who daily have to deal with the intense frustration of migrants who, lacking valid documents for scheduled maritime transport, are turned away from boarding.
"We're living in a situation that puts our safety at risk. Migrants arrive in the afternoon, groups of up to ten people, camp out overnight, and become threatening when denied boarding tickets. They punch ticket booths and litter the restrooms with blood and excrement ," explains Luisa Piovanacci, an employee at the bar for Mit Engineering & Consulting srl, the company that is considering closing the establishment while a solution is found that will ensure the safety of its employees.
The station, managed by the municipality, closes daily at 8:00 PM and is easily accessible through a torn-off panel that allows anyone seeking shelter to enter . "We feel abandoned; there's no security, especially in the dark of night, when people arrive from outside and decide to camp out overnight, unsupervised," adds Piovanacci. " Some migrants have found space in the old, now-disused kiosk in the port area. They managed to enter the building and find shelter . In the morning, they take the bus to Sassari, to the police headquarters, to renew their refusal of entry documents. Then, in the afternoon, around 4:00 PM, they return to the station and demand a ticket to board, holding a piece of paper and a photo. This situation has been going on for days." It's a nightmare for those who work inside the station, where in recent days, some migrants, faced with yet another refusal, have violently banged their fists against the window of the ticket office.