Ro-ro connections between Trieste and Turkey started in 1987 and presently connect the city to Pendik (on the Asian side of Istanbul), Ambarli/Kumport (on the European side of Istanbul), Cesme (90 km from Izmir) and Mersin twice a week to (south-east Turkey).
13 ro-ro ferries operate on these routes, sailing daily to Pendik,  three times a week to Ambarli and Cesme, and twice a week to Mersin for a total of 15 sailings per week.

The Istanbul line is supplied by the Istanbul-based U.N Ro-Ro Isletmeleri A.S. shipping company. All the vessels operating on the Trieste-Pendik line are of very recent construction: three were built in 2005, two in 2008 and one in 2009, each capable of carrying approximately 260 semi-trailers and transporting all types of rolling stock. Since they do not carry passengers, drivers travel by plane departing from the nearby International airport of Ljubljana, in Slovenia. Once they have loaded their trucks, drivers use a shuttle service from the Trieste Port to Ljubljana International Airport and fly directly to Istanbul.

Trucks getting to Trieste carry out the acceptance procedures for loading at the Fernetti Truck Terminal, operating day and night / 24/7 / around the clock where drivers have waiting rooms at their disposal with a restaurant, showers and all other facilities they may need. Drivers fill in the loading request form and hand it over to the terminal gate where the person in charge inputs the data into the system, prints the pre-booking and delivers it to the drivers, thus assigning a priority to their trucks for loading on the first available vessel. In order to turn such priority into a booking, drivers reach the Samer & Co. Shipping counter located inside the truck terminal where they pay the loading charges, hand over customs documents and receive the two vouchers for the shuttle service from Trieste Port to Ljubljana airport and for the flight from Ljubljana to Istanbul Ataturk International Airport. A few hours before loading, drivers receive the boarding pass with which trucks can reach the ferry terminal and await the call to drive their trucks directly onto the vessel. They then take the shuttle to Ljubljana airport where a direct flight takes them to Istanbul on a daily basis.
Transport of dangerous goods and exceptional cargo accompanied by escort vehicles are not required to go to the Fernetti truck terminal and may reach the ferry terminals carrying out the acceptance procedures at the entrance of the respective terminals and offices.
Semi-trailers follow a different procedure as they go directly to the ferry terminals. Drivers fill in the loading request form, unhook the semitrailers (which will be embarked by the terminal personnel) and finally reach the Samer & Co. Shipping counter located inside the ferry terminals where they pay the loading charges and hand over customs documents.

A daily RO-LA service connects the Trieste Port to Salzburg (Austria) with 19 train couples, for a total of 38 departures per week. Travel time is approximately 8 hours and all trains can carry up to 20 trucks (tractor + semi-trailer). The Trieste Port railway lies near the terminal, thus allowing trucks getting off the train to reach the ferry terminal rapidly for embarkation.