Hungary Officially Begins Construction of Its Trieste Trade Port for the First Time in Over 100 Years: now for real

Levente Magyar, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, announced yesterday the start of construction of the Hungarian port in Trieste. This happened five and a half years after the Hungarian state acquired the seaport in Trieste.

According to Levente Magyar, the construction of the Hungarian port will begin with the construction of a huge 50,000-cubic-metre dam and quay on the territory of northern Italy owned by the Hungarian state, which is planned to be fully operational in 2028 and serve Hungarian exports. 

‘107 years after the loss of the Hungarian port of Fiume, our country will once again have its own sea access - the construction of an independent Hungarian port has begun in Trieste. The development, which has significant opportunities for the Hungarian economy, has begun after many years of preparation,’ he said.  

He added that this means that Hungary's annual exports of 60,000 billion forints will reach the global market more easily, more efficient and cheaper logistics for Hungarian companies and direct connection to the international supply chain. 

According to him, the future infrastructure will be able to handle 2.5 million tonnes of waste per year. The port will also build a 650-metre-long embankment. The material and technical base will cover 30 hectares. The future Hungarian port will be fully operational by 2028.

Back in 2019, Peter Szijjártó announced that the Hungarian state would create a seaport in Trieste. To do this, the Hungarian government bought a 32-hectare concession from the Italians for a 60-year period for 31 million euros. However, in the years since the announcement of 2022, only a visual design has been seen. And the contaminated area needed to be cleaned up, as an oil refinery used to operate on the site. 

In August last year, the media reported that the construction of the Port of Trieste was not progressing well, but the CEO was earning more and more. At that time, the design company responsible for the construction of the Port of Trieste had been in existence for five years, but not a single hoe had been laid.

In the summer of 2019, Sijarto told the media that the port should be ready in three years, and later promised to open the port by 2026. Now this deadline has been extended for another 2 years.