Yilport Holding is set to make a debut in the Italian container market after Robert Yuksel Yildirim, president and CEO of Yildirim Group, announced with a post on Twitter that the company is ready to sign a concession agreement for Taranto Container Terminal for 49 years later this week.
Yildrim added via twitter: “We had an excellent meeting with CEO of Taranto Port Authority, Sergio Prete and General Secretary Fulvio in our Maslak Headquarters in Istanbul”. The previous day the Turkish businessman had also met the Italian finance minister, Giovanni Tria, during an official trip in Turkey.
A year ago Yildirim Holding officially presented a request for investing in and operating at the Molo Polisettoriale terminal at the port of Taranto. This area had been operated until 2015 as a transhipment hub by Taranto Container Terminal, a joint venture between Hutchison and Evergreen, and achieved throughput of 900,000 teu at its peak in 2006. The infrastructure covers 100 ha and has a total quay length of 2,000m.
The local port authority received an application from Yilport for the occupation of the entire port facility as well as the use of equipment currently present on site. The aim of the application is for the development of commercial traffic and logistics, with particular reference to the handling of containers, breakbulk cargo and ro-ro. The targeted throughput is 4 million teu per year.
