Almost the entire port area is at the same time the area of the free zone of the port of Ploče after the Port of Ploče Authority was given the consent of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for the establishment of a free zone for a period of 30 years in 1999.

In the area of the free zone on an area of 214 ha, in accordance with the Law on Free Zones, it can be performed: production, finishing works, port activities, wholesale trade and trade brokerage, provision of services, banking and other monetary affairs, and insurance and reinsurance services of property and persons.

The attractiveness of the free zone of the port of Ploče for potential investors is based on the following key facts:

• geo-traffic position of the port of Ploče in relation to the potential market (proximity to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU countries, in particular Italy and central European countries);
• savings on land transport costs;
• the existence of built infrastructure in the port area;
• the existence of port capacities and transhipment and storage workforces and the provision of other services in the organisation of transport and trade, in particular various logistics services;
• incentive measures in the Act regarding the exemption of corporate income tax, value added tax, taxis, fees and customs duties.