The latest is one of the biggest investments at Luka Koper in the past ten years after the extension of pier 1 in 2009 and the construction of berth 7C. There are now a total of 26 berths at the port.

Attending the ceremony on the occasion, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said efforts were under way to shortly complete procedures to acquire plots for the port's expansion.

"The funding has already been secured in the state budget for this year," said Vrtovec, who noted the port's importance for development of Slovenia's economy.

The new berth will allow the mooring of ships measuring between 100 and 240 metres in length and 36 metres in width. The sea depth there is ten metres.

Supported by pilots dug 22 metres deep into the sea bed, the berth consists of a concrete ramp and five fenders.

The investment was subsidised by the EU project Caresmatic.

Luka Koper operates one of the largest car terminals in the Mediterranean. It is one of Europe's biggest ports in terms of car throughput.

The latest is just one of the investments designed to make the terminal more competitive, including a EUR 3 million rail track expansion early this year and a EUR 18 million multi-storey car park to be completed in March 2021.

The new berth will be expanded with a pontoon to serve Slovenian navy vessels.

Luka Koper CEO Dimitrij Zadel said the car industry was going through a bad patch, which was reflected in the throughput at Koper, but without investment the port could hardly keep abreast and count on new deals.