The international conference Moving Adria 2026
The international conference Moving Adria 2026 was held on 23 and 24 September in Opatija, organized by the business media companies Business Media Grupa and Slovenia’s Financa, bringing together more than 200 participants from the logistics and transport sectors, as well as representatives of institutions and companies from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Austria.
On behalf of the conference patron, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, the conference was opened by Nina Perko, Director of the Maritime Administration, Cristina Amirante, Regional Councillor for Infrastructure and Transport of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Gerhard Schlattl, Director of Advantage Austria.
Denis Vukorepa, Executive Director of the Port of Rijeka Authority, spoke about a new phase in the development of the Port of Rijeka and investments strengthening its position on the European map. He particularly addressed container traffic in the ports of the northern Adriatic, which continues to grow despite the complex geopolitical situation. The port of Rijeka is following the same trend, handling around 500,000 TEUs in the first eight months of this year, more than 60 per cent above the figure recorded in the same period last year. He announced that the Port of Rijeka is expected to reach 800,000 TEUs by the end of the year and one million TEUs next year, while the development of a new terminal on the island of Krk could bring total capacity to more than five million TEUs over the next ten years, potentially placing the port of Rijeka among Europe’s ten largest container ports.
The two-day conference brought together representatives of northern Adriatic ports, the logistics sector and institutions, with discussions focusing on the development of port and rail infrastructure, digitalisation, automation and opportunities for closer cooperation among ports. On the first day, the panel discussion featured representatives of ASPT-ASTRA F.V.G. and RO.RO.TRANSHIP, Intereuropa, MSC Croatia, and the Transport Logistics Research Institute of the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences at the University of Zagreb. The following day, the discussion focused on the future of Adriatic ports, with representatives of Port of Koper j.s.c., Port of Rijeka j.s.c., and the Port Authority of Trieste and Monfalcone taking part.
The discussions highlighted the growing potential of northern Adriatic ports to strengthen connections with the markets of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the key prerequisites for further enhancing the competitiveness of the Rijeka transport route: reliable rail connections, well-developed intermodal infrastructure, high-quality logistics facilities in the hinterland, and a fast and predictable transport chain.
