South-east of Italy located, traditionally considered the gateway to Europe towards the Balkan Peninsula and the Middle East, the port of Bari is a multifunction port able to meet all operational requirements. Its multifunctionality is guaranteed by full-equipped wharves for handling each type of goods and an excellent network of mobility connections.

Thanks to those characteristics, the Port of Bari was indicated as the "western end" of the "Corridor 8", the multifuncions trans-European lane, linking southern Europe to the Black Sea through Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria.

With a macro area that includes countries such as Croatia, the Yugoslav Federation, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova, the potential catchments area of the port of Bari, which reaches up to European Turkey, sums about 70 million people potentially related to the economy Apulia.

Of these, at least 20 million (Montenegrins, Serbs, Albanians, Bosnians and Macedonians) have already direct and/or indirect relations with the economy of Bari and all the Apulia region.