Taranto Container Terminal has become the 21st marine terminal of Yilport’s global portfolio, and the first Yilport terminal in Italy. 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 over 4 million TEUs via investments in the next 10 years. Yilport Holding will heavily invest in the infrastructure, equipment and technology. The first developments and investments will be the installation of ship-to-shore cranes (STS), rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMG), and Navis terminal operating system.

Yilport Holding, a subsidiary of YILDIRIM Group of Companies, targets to be ranked among the top 10 container terminal operators by 2025. Headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, and active in 8 countries with 20 marine ports and 6 dry terminals, Yilport Holding is currently the 13th among the global container terminal operators, ranked by Drewry. The parent company YILDIRIM Holding also owns 24% shares of CMA CGM Group, the third largest container shipping company in the world.

Yilport is planning to improve Taranto Container Terminal as a gateway terminal and in the future a a transhipment hub.

Delfino e Associati Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Studio Legale advised Yilport on the transaction with a team led by Maurizio Delfino and including Luca Leonardi ed Elena Meloni.

Studio Legale Mordiglia advised Yilport on transport law aspects of the deal with a team led by Aldo Mordiglia.

Studio Zunarelli, with a team led by Stefano Zunarelli advised the Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea (PNAIS) on transport law aspects of the deal.