EUR 206.8 million for Port of Trieste expansion

The Pier VIII project at the Port of Trieste is set to receive EUR 206.8 million for the planning, construction, and maintenance of significant infrastructure developments.

The State-Regions Conference, held on Thursday, endorsed an agreement on the preliminary decree issued by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance. This agreement stipulates the allocation of funds from the Port Infrastructure Fund.

This collaborative initiative with the private sector entails a total investment of EUR 315.8 million. Of this sum, EUR 109 million will be contributed by the private entity proposing the project, while the remaining EUR 206.8 million will be sourced from the Fund.

The management of these allocated funds falls under the Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority, which will initiate a tender process. It is anticipated that besides Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), other potential contenders or consortia, possibly including HHLA itself, may participate in the bidding process.

Given its existing concession for the entire area of the future Pier VIII, the Hamburg-based parent company, which operates the logistics platform in Trieste through HHLA Plt Italy, appears to be the frontrunner.

MSC-HHLA issue

These developments are part of the broader MSC-HHLA venture, with the Swiss conglomerate acquiring a 49.9% stake in the Hamburg company. On 13 February 2024, the Hamburg Senate officially approved the investment deal.

The City of Hamburg will remain the majority shareholder. It intends to manage the company jointly with MSC and thus develop HHLA further. To this end, the City of Hamburg intends to hold a 50.1% stake, and MSC a stake of up to 49.9%.

MSC already manages the port’s first and flourishing container terminal, through the control of Trieste Marine Terminal.

HHLA investment

In September 2020 HHLA took a 50.1% majority stake in a new multi-purpose facility in Port of Trieste. There was a significant Ro-Ro element to the investment in Piattaforma Logistica Trieste (PLT), to tap into Trieste’s rail hub status for Central Europe-Turkey/East Med traffic.

PLT occupies an area of 27 ha (of which 55,000 sqm is covered). It has Ro-Ro / Con-Ro / Container / General Cargo berths 360 m + 414 metres long. Furthermore, the PLT terminal has its rail connection and HHLA’s rail subsidiary Metrans already connects the port with its European intermodal network.

Railway infrastructure

In January of this year, the Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority, overseeing Italy’s largest port in Trieste, achieved recognition as a rail infrastructure manager from the National Agency for Railway and Road Infrastructure Safety (ANSFISA). This groundbreaking certification marks a first for an Italian port, empowering the Authority to oversee the entire facility’s infrastructure.

According to RailFreight.com, this designation as an infrastructure manager was granted in recognition of the substantial volume of freight trains, exceeding 12,000, handled by the port in 2023. Notably, approximately 54% of the containers passing through the port are transported via railways. Additionally, the Port Authority has established a dedicated department focused on enhancing rail infrastructure.

With this significant milestone, the Port Authority gains the capability to assume responsibility for the necessary infrastructural upgrades previously overseen by the national infrastructure manager, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).