(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 5 LUG - The port of Trieste's strategic importance on the European and international commercial and logistics stage continues to grow. Today, the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea took part in a meeting held at the offices of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region in which a sale contract was signed between the Hungarian government and the private companies Teseco and Seastock, the first step towards the construction of a multipurpose terminal in the Noghere area.

The total investment, which includes the purchase and reclamation of the area and the development of the project, is estimated to be worth about € 100 million. The agreement, which was signed in the presence of the Italian Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, the President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region Massimiliano Fedriga and the President of the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea Zeno D'Agostino, will improve the port of Trieste's position as a strategic European hub, the maritime and logistical gateway to continental Europe. Indeed, over the last three years, thanks to rail cargo links the port of Trieste has emerged as a crucial hub for major logistics chains to and from Hungary (such as the automotive sector), with no less that 14 weekly pairs of trains between Trieste and Budapest "The agreement signed today represents the completion of a very laborious process that began in autumn 2017, and for which I warmly thank the Italian Embassy in Budapest headed by Ambassador Massimo Rustico, the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional government, and the Port Authority System's staff. Nevertheless, this is merely the beginning of a more concrete development phase, and is a major achievement for the port, the region, and Italy as a whole" explains Zeno D'Agostino, President of the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea.

"The Free Port regime played a key role in convincing Hungary, which is one of the most dynamic markets we are working with. This investment concerns activities with a great degree of added value, and ushers in a new era for the port of Trieste as an area of interest for investments on the part of European partners", the President concluded. The area subject to the agreement, which once hosted the Aquila petroleum refinery, features a quay with a draft of 13 meters, and will be dedicated mainly to Hungarian foreign trade.

With an ample rear-quay logistics area for the stocking and handling of cargo, the site will also provide opportunities for developing all kinds of traffic of interest to the port, especially in maritime and logistical terms. The area, which is located to the south-east of the port of Trieste, is linked to the rail network and has a surface area of about 320,000 square meters, including about 60,000 square meters of public land along the coast administered by the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea. The protocol that was signed today will facilitate the solving of several strategic issues of interest for the Port of Trieste, such as the issues related to the status of Contaminated Site of National Interest (SIN) with the Ministry of the Environment and the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional government; the ability of rapidly granting Free Port status to the site or parts thereof; and the re-opening and upgrading of existing public rail links with the Aquilina rail station. The Municipality of Muggia will be involved in every step of the future planned development for the area. (ANSA).