Yilport offer for Taranto port advances

The Italian port concession would be the 21st marine terminal in the Turkish company’s portfolio.    Yilport Holding says that the agency that manages the Port of Taranto in Italy has “expressed a first positive evaluation about Yilport Holding’s proposal concerning the concession of the container terminal.”
   The Istanbul-headquartered company said the Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea (PNAIS) has accepted and published its proposal.
   “Yilport is enthusiastic about Taranto Container Terminal, and committed to Taranto’s rise in the port industry,” said Robert Yuksel Yildirim, chairman of Yilport.
    He said the company plans to meet with local authorities, trade unions, logistics companies, exporters and importers, with particular attention to the agri-food sector.
   “We will explain our business plan for Taranto and deliver Yilport’s vision to improve Taranto Container Terminal as both a gateway terminal and also a transshipment hub of tomorrow,” he said.
    “Soon we will start our talks with major global container shipping lines and feeder services for their commitment to Taranto Container Terminal. We aim to boost container volumes,” he added.
   Yilport said current annual container-handling capacity of the terminal is about 2 million TEUs with a quayside draft of 16.5 meters. Yilport plans to expand annual handling capacity to more than 4 million TEUs via investments in the next 10 years.
   Yilport said it will “heavily invest in the infrastructure, equipment and technology. The first developments and investments will be the installation of ship-to-shore cranes, ail-mounted gantry cranes and a Navis terminal operating system.
   “We believe Taranto Container Terminal will be one of the best terminals in Italy by 2025,” the company said, adding it also intends to collaborate with local operators to develop breakbulk, project cargo and ro-ro traffic.
   If the deal is finalized, Taranto Container Terminal would be the 21st marine terminal of Yilport’s global portfolio. It also operates six inland facilities. Part of the Yildirim conglomerate, the company has said it wants to advance from its current spot as the 13th-largest container terminal operator in the world to become one of the 10 largest by 2025.
   Yilport also has made a proposal to operate the port of Gulfport, Miss.