Taranto, green light for the new Cruise Terminal: agreement signed and work scheduled to start in October 2026
February 20, 2026 is an important date for Taranto Cruise Port first and foremost, but also for the port and the city: we finally have the go-ahead to build the new cruise terminal.
At the offices of the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea, Dr. Stephen Xuereb, Chief Operating Officer of Global Ports Holding, the group to which Taranto Cruise Port belongs, and the President of the Ionian Sea Port Authority, Mr. Gugliotti, signed the agreement that will allow construction work on the new cruise terminal to begin in October 2026, immediately after the end of the cruise season. The project envisages completion of the terminal by March 2027, in time for the start of the 2027 cruise season.
Taranto Cruise Port will invest over €4.5 million in the construction of the terminal. The cruise terminal will have a total area of approximately 2,250 square meters and will be located on the western quay of the San Cataldo pier, the main quay for cruise ship moorings. The terminal, designed according to criteria of energy efficiency, operational functionality, and high standards of hospitality, will have a large waiting and check-in area with 14 operational stations, spaces dedicated to baggage delivery and collection, and a large retail area offering excellent local crafts and food and wine products.
The outdoor area is also designed for the comfort of guests, with car and bus parking for cruise passengers, as well as a connection to the Levante quay, which is useful for managing double docking.
The new terminal is a key element in supporting the development of cruises in the port of Taranto and the related industries, which affect both the port and the city, as well as the surrounding area, and supports a new narrative of the city as a welcoming and organized tourist destination, making it increasingly attractive and competitive in the cruise industry.
GPH Chief Operating Officer Stephen Xuereb emphasizes: “A permanent terminal, designed by leveraging the best practices that GPH has developed thanks to the experience gained in the Group’s 32 terminals around the world, is also essential for promoting the destagionalization of the destination and attracting cruise traffic even for winter arrivals, with a significant extension of the cruise season, strengthening the port in the international cruise context and adding value to the destination as a whole.”
Raffaella Del Prete, General Manager of Taranto Cruise Port and GPH Italia, adds: “This investment allows us to respond even more fully to the needs of the various cruise lines, from large ships with thousands of guests to ships with smaller space requirements, but always with the highest level of service and hospitality.”
The goal in the hopefully near future is to open the facility to events involving the city, engaging with the local area and its excellence. This will generate a further important boost for Taranto’s economy and the promotion of the destination.
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Taranto Cruise Port, the company that has been managing cruise traffic in the port of Taranto since 2021, is part of Global Ports Holding (GPH), the world’s largest independent cruise terminal operator, with an established presence in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Asia-Pacific regions, and several large commercial operations in Montenegro. With an integrated platform of cruise ports serving cruise ships, ferries, yachts, and megayachts, GPH operates 32 terminals in 19 countries and continues to grow steadily. In 2025, GPH welcomed over 22 million passengers to its terminals, achieving a 35% market share in the Mediterranean.
