HRH the Prince of Asturias, Prince Phillip of Bourbon, and the Chairwoman of Hanjin Shipping, Ms. Eun Young Choi, formally opened the Total Terminal International Algeciras (TTIA) facility. Owned and built by the South Korean group and located at the Port on the Strait of Gibraltar, TTIA is the first semi-automatic container terminal both in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe.
It is the largest investment ever made by a South Korean company in Spain, precisely at the same time that both countries are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations.
The prince highlighted the fact that TTIA “… forms part of the commitment to the future of the port of Algeciras bay as the greatest Andalusian and Spanish port in terms of its world cargo throughput.” Prince Phillip also stated that the Port of Algeciras Bay is a “keystone” for Spanish integration into Transeuropean traffic networks: “This new, intelligent container terminal reinforces this port as a model for others to follow”, he added.
The start-up at TTIA came after a ceremony that had begun at noon with speeches made by the Chairman of the Port of Algeciras Bay Authority (APBA), Manuel Moron; the Mayor of Algeciras, Tomas Herrera; the Managing-Director of TTIA, Fernando Gonzalez; the South Korean Ambassador to Spain, Cho Taeyul; the Secretary of State for Territorial Cooperation, Gaspar Zarrias; and the President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Jose Antonio Griñan. More than 500 attended the opening ceremony, including management from the most important shipowners, ports, and port and logistics operators in the sector.
The implementation of new technologies and the resulting boost to the Port of Algeciras in terms of competitivity in the face of developments at other ports was a recurring theme of all the speeches.
Prince Phillip has returned to the number one Spanish port almost eight years to the day after he laid the very foundation stone - in 2002 - of the port’s expansion plan that was inaugurated today: Isla Verde Exterior. Only two years before this, HM King Juan Carlos had also leant his support to the number one port in Spain by presiding over the opening ceremony of the quay that bears his name: King Juan Carlos I Quay, where APM Terminals currently operates the largest container terminal in the Mediterranean.
TTIA is a clear commitment to the Port of Algeciras and the Strait of Gibraltar by the South Korean shipowner. The terminal has two quay lines of 550m and 650m and a 35Ha levelled area, with 8 STS, 32 ASC and 20 SHC cranes.