Yilport Holding has signed a 49-year concession agreement to operate the multipurpose terminal at the port of Taranto, Italy.
The agreement was signed with the managing institution of the terminal, Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea (PNAIS).
This is the 22nd port in Yilport’s portfolio and its first terminal in Italy.
“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,” said Yilport Holding chairman Robert Yuksel Yildirim.
He added: “The infrastructure was there but there was no one to take care of it. Our intention is to create another success story in Taranto. From today until the end of this year, we will be fixing cranes to ramp-up business, visiting potential customers, and promoting the container terminal. The project also aims to cooperate with local operators to improve cargo and ro-ro traffic.”
Initial discussions about the concession agreement with PNAIS began in August 2018, as HLPFI reported here. At the time of the initial proposal, Yildirim said that the company intends to “collaborate with local operators to develop breakbulk, project cargo and ro-ro traffic”.
