Captain Salvatore Sarno

Captain Salvatore Sarno, the chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in South Africa, was born in a small village in southern Italy. “Everybody calls me Captain Sarno because I was a captain,” he says. Reflecting on his youth, Captain Sarno said that as child, he dreamed of becoming a ship’s captain, though the mountains surrounding his village obscured the sea. During school holidays, he would climb to the top of the mountains. “I used to sit there, looking at that little triangle of blue and dreaming of when I’d be working at sea,” he recalled.

In 1965, Captain Sarno began his journey in the Italian Navy. However, he found the rigid structure stifling and left after two years to join the merchant navy, where he worked on tankers as a cadet. “That’s the life I was looking for,” he said. By the age of 26, he achieved his dream of becoming a ship’s captain, one of the youngest in the Italian merchant fleet.

A SIGNIFICANT TURN
His career took a significant turn when he met Gianluigi Aponte, who, alongside his wife Rafaela, had recently founded MSC. Aponte offered Captain Sarno a position aboard a 4,000-tonne vessel, one of MSC’s first ships, and together they set out to establish MSC’s inaugural shipping line around Africa. In those early days, they operated with limited resources, often carrying cargo other lines had refused. Captain Sarno recalls, “We succeeded because of our passion. That energy motivated the crew, and we showed them what was possible.”

At the age of 30, Captain Sarno left the sea to join Aponte in Brussels, assisting in the management of MSC’s growing fleet, which then comprised only five ships. Together, they dreamed of making MSC the world’s largest shipping company. Captain Sarno moved with his family – his wife Sandra and his two sons – into a small office where each team member took on multiple roles, with spouses contributing as well. MSC’s reputation grew, and soon, the company relocated to Geneva to enhance its professional image. Despite periods of financial hardship and cycles of near-bankruptcy, MSC persevered, acquiring second-hand ships and using them to maximum advantage. “People called us the second-hand ship owners,” he said, “but we knew how to make the most of them.”

A major milestone for MSC came when BMW South Africa awarded them a contract, provided they could offer a weekly service between Europe and South Africa. Captain Sarno, aged 40, took on the challenge, relocating to South Africa with a two-year commitment to establish MSC’s presence. Those two years transformed into a much longer tenure, as he built MSC South Africa into the country’s largest shipping organisation with the help of Sandra, who managed sixteen container depots, and his son Rosario, who eventually became the managing director, overseeing more than 2,000 employees. Captain Sarno insisted on maintaining a personal touch in client relations, avoiding call centres to ensure customers interacted with staff they trusted.

UNITED IN PURPOSE
In 1992, Captain Sarno co-founded the Container Lines Operator Forum (CLOF) with the late Dave Rennies, forming a network of top shipping executives who advised Transnet’s leaders on optimising port and container terminal operations. Six years later, in 1998, he was appointed President of the South African Branch of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.

Captain Sarno’s success led him to unexpected meetings, including an encounter with President Nelson Mandela. Inspired by Mandela’s vision for South Africa, Captain Sarno collaborated with the South African Navy in 1999 to establish Izivunguvungu, the MSC Foundation, an innovative youth initiative located in Simon’s Town to support disadvantaged South Africans.

In the mid-2000s, another opportunity arose when South Africa prepared for its ten-year democracy anniversary. Captain Sarno spearheaded a campaign to create a South African team for the America’s Cup, the world’s most prestigious sailing competition. With support from President Mandela and a diverse team of sailors, Captain Sarno‘s campaign gained international attention. “The message was clear: after ten years of democracy, South Africa could compete on a global stage, united in purpose.”

Captain Sarno faced obstacles as the leader of Shosholoza, the state-of-the-art yacht that was built in South Africa. Funding was limited, but he persevered, rallying support from friends, shipping industry contacts, and even Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who became one of Shosholoza’s biggest supporters. He also become close friends with Thabo Mbeki and Andrew Mlangeni who recognised in Shosholoza the true spirit of the new South Africa. Reflecting on his achievements, Captain Sarno says, that while the Shosholoza team did not win the American Cup, the team went on to win the most important awards of the competition.

In 2018, together with his son Rosario, Captain Sarno founded the Shosholoza Academy, where thousands of young South Africans have been trained to work on MSC’s passenger ships, contributing to employment and skill-building within the country.

A SIGN OF HOPE
Captain Sarno’s contributions were acknowledged when he was awarded an Italian Republic Knight- hood by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in 2005. Four years later, in 2009, he was appointed as an Official of the Knighthood Order by President Giorgio Napolitano.

Today, Captain Sarno looks towards the future of South Africa’s ports with optimism. He believes the nation has the right leaders to drive change and restore the country’s infrastructure, pointing to recent progress as a sign of hope. Captain Sarno’s involvement in discussions with government officials reflects his commitment to helping South Africa reach its potential.

Captain Sarno’s ambitions have always been largely self-driven. “No one ever told me I’d be a captain. It was just always inside me.” However, Captain Sarno’s love for cinema, sparked by watching films with his father who worked as a projectionist, also shaped his perspective. “Movies were my window to the world,” he says, noting how this early exposure broadened his knowledge compared to his peers.

Today, Captain Sarno continues to serve as MSC’s chairman, advocating for South Africa’s development and maintaining a vision for its future as a world leader.