Journal of Business and Social Science Review Issue: Vol. 1; No.7; July 2020 pp.46-68 ISSN 2690-0866(Print) 2690-0874 (Online) Website: www.jbssrnet.com E-mail:
[email protected] Oil Transportation: ENI’s fleet, Italian Ports and Pipelines (1950s-1970s) Ilaria Suffia Research Fellow in Economic History Università Cattolica of Milan. Abstract: To make a profitable business, oil multinationalshave to include in their strategies the issue to transport crude from production sites to markets.EnteNazionaleIdrocarburi-Eni is the Italian state-owned oil company and a relevant oil player in the second half of the 20th century. This article focuses on Enito poin outthat oil businesses,to overcome trading limitations, invested in the creation of an oil transportation systemincluding naval fleets, ports and pipelines. Initially, the article displays the relationship between the oil market growth and the development of crude transportationsafter WWII until the early 1970s. Secondly, it analyses Eni‟s fleet, describingthe enlargement path of vesselsas well asthe increase in petroleum ships size, emphasising their limitations and constraints. Furthermore, it gives an international perspective. Finally, it analyses the development of ports and pipelines, i.e. the final tiles that complete the oil supply chain. Introduction In the 20th century,petroleumbecame a pivotal energy resource in developed nations, as well as a key component in the manufacturing of products and goods. Beyond the economic impact, the exploitation of oil and its derivatives affectedinnovations and technologies andit had repercussion on politics and on international relationships. No less important, it influenced societies and cultures, changing lifestyles and creating a „petroleum culture‟i.