We cannot but celebrate again the unprecedented performance made by the short-sea lines connecting Türkiye and Europe via Trieste, following 2021 that had already gone beyond expectations.
As the year just ended, statistics proved that the ro-ro connections calling Türkiye and Trieste reached another peak by handling a total of 337,152 heavy units (+9% as against 2021). An increase by 10% marked the number of containers that were shipped: 61,538, for a total of 114,008 TEUs (+9%). Globally, the lines delivered 5,522,102 tons of cargo, showing an 8% rise.
Notably, operations reached an all-time high of 808 vessels handled altogether, continuing on the ascending curve that had already recorded a 35% jump from 2020 to 2021:
Such outstanding performance is also related to the increasing calls, currently reaching 16 trips per week, the highest loading capacity of most of the fleet in place for both ship owners, DFDS and Ulusoy Sealines, the proactive cooperation with local authorities helping to ease up procedures, and the availability of additional spaces for the incoming/outgoing semi-trailers. Indeed, now operations for the Sea Highway are streamlined by calling four port terminals in the Customs Free Port of Trieste: Samer Seaports & Terminals, T.I.M.T. (Trieste Intermodal Maritime Terminal), E.M.T. (Europa Multipurpose Terminals) and HHLA-PLT.
Inland terminals and buffer areas are also essential for the consistently high volumes of heavy units transiting our port: Fernetti, which is still used compulsorily by truck drivers, also provided for reserved parking lots (158 for SST and 68 for TIMT) at the customs-free area of Freeeste, and the Port of Trieste used for the same purpose the 20,000-square-meter area at the landward end of the industrial canal.
Lastly, a note on the number of trains handled at the rail terminal managed by Samer Seaports & Terminals. A slight decrease by 6.6% was recorded: trains were 3,806 in 2022 compared to 4,076 in 2021.
