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Construction of Hungary’s Seaport to Start This Year

Hungary Today 2024.04.15.

After a long silence, there is encouraging news again about Hungary’s historic seaport, writes Világgazdaság. Construction work on the port in Trieste could start before the end of 2024.

Back in the summer of 2019, it was revealed that Hungary would build a seaport in Trieste, Italy. At the time, the reason given was that it would help Hungarian businesses. The announcement was historic without exaggeration, as it also meant that Hungary would have its own coastline, which it had last claimed a hundred years before the Treaty of Trianon (peace treaty signed in 1920 between the Allies and Hungary, giving about two thirds of its land and one third of its population to neighboring countries). This was foreshadowed by the fact that the purchase process itself took a year and a half, with the paperwork only being finalized at the very end of 2020.

In any case, since then it has become a fact that Hungary will have a

  • a 300-meter-long coastline
  • 32 hectares of land in the port of Trieste
  • a 60-year concession contract. (This is because under Italian law, the coast must always remain in public ownership).

Trieste. Photo via Pixabay

At the time, it was also indicated that an infrastructure investment of almost EUR 100 million (increased to EUR 150 million by 2022) was planned for the port, so that Hungarian companies could carry out their export activities from there. This was estimated at around two million tons, or 78,000 containers a year.

The choice of Trieste as the new Hungarian seaport seems logical.

It is one of the closest seaports to Hungary, accessible by road and rail within 24 hours, and has the capacity to meet the needs of Hungarian exporting companies.

Irish Low-Cost Airline to Operate Flights between Trieste and Budapest
Irish Low-Cost Airline to Operate Flights between Trieste and Budapest

The flights will operate in the morning on Fridays and in the evening on Sundays.Continue reading

The water depth on this stretch of the coast is 13 meters, therefore only Suezmax ships with a displacement of 120-200,000 tons can dock there. The containers will be transported to Hungary by high-speed rail: the railway linking the port of Trieste to Budapest is 539 kilometers long. It is planned to run 14 train pairs per week.

The task of developing the Hungarian seaport has been entrusted by the Hungarian government to Adria Port, a 100% Hungarian state-owned company. The video below illustrates what the Hungarian port in Trieste would look like in its finished state.

However, years have passed, but no concrete construction has begun. The COVID pandemic, several lawsuits involving the seller, and obviously the Ukrainian war situation have played a decisive role in this. Then, at the very end of 2022, the Hungarian press reported that the deal was on track and that the feasibility studies had been completed and the licensing procedures were under way. Last summer, the competent port authority in Italy had approved the loading of the Hungarian-owned terminal. At the same time, the tendering process has started, and a decision on who will be awarded the contract for the works could be made in the near future.

Péter Tibor Garai, CEO of Adria Port, stressed a year and a half ago that

the port could be open for business in 2026.

Whether this can be achieved remains to be seen. What is certain is that there has been encouraging news recently from an official source. Lóránt Keresztes László, a member of LMP (Hungary’s Green Party), has submitted a written question entitled “When will Hungary have a seaport?”. This was answered by Levente Magyar, Deputy Minister and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of Péter Szijjártó. He revealed that discussions are ongoing with the Italian side on the preparation of the project.

According to the current state of the negotiations, the construction of the embankment and dredging works could start this year,”

Magyar highlighted.

Hungary on the Brink of Having a Seaport
Hungary on the Brink of Having a Seaport

The technical and economic feasibility plans for the creation of a pier on the Hungarian state-owned terminal have been approved.Continue reading

Via Világgazdaság; Featured image via Pixabay


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