After Venice and Ravenna, Global Ports Holding now adds Cagliari and  Catania cruise ports to its portfolio, enhancing its presence in Italy…

In September 2016, we had announced that Global Ports Holding (“Global Ports), through its wholly owned subsidiary, purchased 51% shares of Ravenna Terminal Passeggeri S.r.l. which operates Ravenna Cruise Port.

Today, Global Ports, through its wholly owned subsidiary Ports Operation Holding, has indirectly purchased shares of the companies operating Cagliari Cruise Port and Catania Cruise Port, in addition to shares of the company providing landfall services to the cruise ship passengers in Portovenere.

As a result, Global Ports now owns:

• %70.89 indirect shares of Cagliari Cruise Port S.r.l. which operates Cagliari Cruise Port,

• %62.20 indirect shares of Catania Cruise Terminal S.r.l. which operates Catania Cruise Port,

• %53.67 indirect shares of Ravenna Terminal Passeggeri S.r.l. which operates Ravenna Cruise Port,

• %28.5 indirect shares of La Spezia Cruise Facility S.c.a.r.l which provides services in Portovenere.

Ravenna is a city of mosaics, and is a favorable destination thanks to its geographical location.  Its proximity to Venice, Bologna and the Independent Republic of San Marino, as well as the reduced travel time to Florence due to the new high speed rail connections, makes it an attractive cruise destination. The traffic in the Adriatic Sea is constantly increasing and Ravenna Cruise Port is very well positioned to benefit from the increasing traffic as one of the most appealing Italian cruise ship destinations.

Cagliari Cruise Port–located halfway between the Iberian coasts to the west; Italian coast to the east; and North African coast to the South– provides a significant advantage of being included on different routes, while granting high-value experiences to cruise passengers and fuel-efficiency for cruise lines. Its proximity to an international airport, and the new terminal building under construction, further strengthens Cagliari’s position as a homeport of the South Sardinia’s destination.

Catania Cruise Terminal carries homeport operations in the prestigious location of the “Vecchia Dogana,” a recently renovated historic building, which also houses a shopping center. Catania Cruise Terminal has the potential to increase cruise passengers through cross-selling and leveraging on GPH’s strength in the cruise industry.

The addition of Cagliari, Catania and Ravenna cruise ports to Global Ports’ existing portfolio of Barcelona/Spain (the largest cruise port in the Mediterranean), Malaga/Spain, Venice/Italy (the largest homeport in the Meditarranean), Valletta/Malta, Lisbon/Portugal, Singapore – SATS Creuers/Singapore, Adria-Bar/Montenegro, Kuşadası/Turkey, Bodrum/Turkey, Antalya/Turkey, and Dubrovnik/Croatia (tender process continues); total passenger figures are expected to exceed 7.5 million, solidifying Global Ports’ position as the largest cruise operator in the world.

Mehmet Kutman, the Chairman of GPH indicated that, “As GPH, we are incredibly proud of the growth we have accomplished within 2016. Sticking to its acquisition pipeline, GPH has steadfastly demonstrated its leading position as the world’s largest cruise port operator, with the acquisitions of Catania, Cagliari, and Ravenna. GPH’s solid presence in Mediterranean and Asia Pacific will capture c.25% share in the Mediterranean with over 7.5 million passengers. Through our teams astounding efforts, we have achieved yet another milestone, by expanding our portfolio to 14 ports in 8 countries.”

Mr Emre Sayin, the CEO of GPH pointed out that, “After the acquisition of Venice Cruise Port; the addition of Catania, Cagliari, and Ravenna cruise ports will undoubtedly boost Global Ports’ collective marketing power and enhance its presence in Italy, with a total of close to 500,000 passengers. As the leading cruise port operator in the world, using its top-notch expertise, GPH will continue to create synergy within its growing port network.”

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