The project, which began in January 2020 after Konecranes signed the contract in December 2019, involved recommissioning seven ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and 16 rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes that were previously inactive.

The first part of the project will be to move the seven STS cranes 100m down the quay, where they will be able to start operations. Several of the RMG cranes will also be recommissioned in the first half of 2020, and the remaining RMGs are due to be brought online by the end of 2020.

Robert Yildrim, owner of Yilport Holding, said: “We have strong ambitions in the Mediterranean. The opportunities presented by Taranto port require tremendous focus and we are pleased to have Konecranes on board. We look forward to having the port back in full operation by the end of 2020, with more exciting reinvestment plans to follow.”

VicentLladó, director at Konecranes’s Port Services Mediterranean, said that the project supports Konecranes’s strategy of becoming the premier port services provider to brownfield terminal developments: “Konecranes continues to grow its aftermarket port services and product range, including turnkey projects on any brand of crane.”