GENOA: The Italian government has launched a scouting mission to find local or international investors interested in managing the container terminal of the port of Taranto, after Hutchison Port Holdings’ and Evergreen’s decision to quit the joint venture Taranto Container Terminal.
Since 2001 the terminal has been working as a transhipment hub for the Central and Eastern Mediterranean region but in the last few years it has had to compete with the fast growing Piraeus port in Greece and other hubs based in North Africa.
The terminal has a total quay length of 1,500 m and dredging works are currently underway in order to guarantee a depth of 15.5 m. The best throughput of Taranto Container Terminal was reached in 2006 with some 900,000 teu handled.
Italy’s ministry of transport, Graziano Delrio, has said he hopes to find new investors for the terminal by September and that he would welcome a partnership involving FS Logistica, the logistics branch of the national railway company.
