APM Terminals’ new deep-water facility in Izmir, Turkey, has officially started container operations as it welcomed the first vessel, Maersk Bulan, on December 6, 2016.

The new container terminal, located on Turkey’s Aegean coast, is said to be the biggest container terminal in the Aegean Region.

In February 2013, port operator APM Terminals formalized an agreement with Turkish petrochemical company Petkim to operate a new 1.3 million TEU purpose-built container and general deep-water terminal at Petkim Port in Aliağa, Izmir, for a period of 28 years.

The first phase of terminal development operations was completed in 2015, including the implementation and testing of the cranes and other container handling equipment.

The facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 1.3 million TEUs and is able to handle vessels of 16,000 TEU.