First Italian stake for global operator

Yilport Holding signed the concession agreement for the container terminal with Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea (PNAIS), which manages the Port of Taranto. The terminal will be Yilport’s first in Italy and the 22^nd in its management portfolio.

Robert Yuksel Yildirim, chairman of Yilport Holding, said: “We have a strong presence in the Mediterranean. We are in Malta and operate seven ports between Spain and Portugal. Being able to enter Italy and work here in Taranto is like filling in the missing piece of a puzzle that we are building globally. The infrastructure was there but there was no one to take care of it.”

Outlining the company’s development plan for the terminal, Mr Yildirim said that during the rest of the year Yilport will be fixing cranes, visiting potential customers, and promoting the container terminal to drive business forward. He added the company also aims to cooperate with local operators to improve cargo and ro-ro traffic.

Taranto Container Terminal has 1 million sqm of land, easy access to the highway network, and five rail platforms connected directly to the national railway system. The terminal is eligible to serve up to Post-Panamax sized container vessels with -16.5m draft.

The terminal will offer 160,000sqm of CFS and Empty Container Services area, providing stuffing, stripping, inspection, M&R, PTI, sweeping, cleaning, and empty container inspection and conditioning.