(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world's largest transport operator, have signed a strategic cooperation agreement, Trend reports via SOCAR.

The signing ceremony took place in Baku. Under the deal, the parties plan to strengthen Türkiye's role in the global supply chain through joint investments in SOCAR Terminal, the largest container port in the Aegean region.

As part of the agreement, MSC's subsidiary and global terminal operator Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) will become a shareholder in SOCAR Terminal.

The cooperation will integrate SOCAR Terminal into TIL's extensive global network.

“New investments in equipment and technology will boost the terminal's capacity, improve operational efficiency and deliver major progress in digitalization, sustainability and infrastructure development,” SOCAR said.

SOCAR Terminal, the Aegean region's largest container hub, has a 700-metre continuous quay, 16-metre depth, 420,000 square metres of port area and a 30,000 square metre rear zone, giving it strategic significance for both regional and global trade. The terminal can handle next-generation ULCS-class vessels, simultaneously servicing several large ships and minimizing waiting times.

Operating under the“Port of the Future” concept, SOCAR Terminal applies the highest occupational safety standards, maintains an industry-leading position through investments in digitalization and technology, and pursues a sustainable business model aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, expanding renewable energy use and improving energy efficiency.

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