October the 18th, 2024 – The Rijeka Gateway investment is one of the largest investments in Croatia. Set to alter the way this industrial northern Adriatic city looks, a look at how it is progressing.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the very first two STS (ship-to-shore) cranes have arrived at the Rijeka Gateway terminal. The largest cranes at the terminal will serve to transfer containers between vessels and the terminal itself, and will also define the Rijeka’s new urban look.
the rijeka gateway investment – 380 million euros
The terminal has been equipped with everything it needs to begin work next year. It’s worth noting that this gigantic Rijeka Gateway investment is one of the largest logistics investments in infrastructure in Croatia, worth a total of 380 million euros in total.
After the realisation of the entire Rijeka Gateway investment, the terminal will boast a total capacity of over one million TEUs per year, which will restore Rijeka’s status as the most important container port in this part of Europe. In addition to a massive economic contribution, the Rijeka terminal will also be the most technologically modern in this part of Europe, with a special emphasis placed on sustainability through the maximum reduction of the terminal’s impact on the environment and the local community.
“The arrival of these STS cranes represents a significant milestone for us in the overall terminal construction project and the whole team is proud of the pace of development of the project so far. That process has been very complex, owing to all the necessary work but also due to the technology that is really at the highest level in this terminal. The equipment that arrives to us on a weekly basis is almost entirely electrified and remotely controlled, equipped with the most modern systems for reducing noise, light impact and general impact on the environment and the local community. We want to be a good neighbour to the citizens of Rijeka and ensure a positive impact that goes beyond the large economic effects that the project itself brings,” said Peter Corfitsen, president of the Rijeka Gateway Management Board.
a boost for rijeka employment
“The terminal will directly create 300 jobs, and indirectly many more because such projects attract additional investments in production, storage and logistics facilities. The construction of the terminal itself has engaged many local companies, and the positive contribution to the economy of Rijeka and its surroundings, as well as to the national economy, will only grow with the start of the terminal’s operations. The fiscal contribution of the terminal is also significant. This terminal will return Rijeka to the global map of important ports, and Croatia to the map of important logistics centres for Eastern and Central Europe,” emphasised Tomislav Rosandić, member of the Rijeka Gateway Management Board.
All cranes at the Rijeka Gateway terminal will be fully electronic, and the power supply will be provided exclusively from sustainable sources of electricity. In order to reduce the overall impact on the environment and keep noise levels to a minimum, ships at the terminal will turn off noisy ship engines when loading and unloading because they will be powered by electricity from the terminal. The noise reduction system completes the use of soft landing technology on cranes for quieter manipulation of containers and sound signals of the complete terminal equipment in the form of white noise instead of beeping. The terminal will also use technologies to reduce light pollution from the terminal as well as a multitude of systems to prevent pollution going into the sea.
apm terminals and the enna group
The Rijeka Gateway investment is a joint investment of APM terminals and the ENNA group, divided into two phases. The first phase includes an investment of 200 million euros and will be completed by the end of 2025, and includes the construction of the terminal’s basic infrastructure, the acquisition of state-of-the-art container cranes and the establishment of the necessary logistical support. The second phase involves an additional investment of 180 million euros, which will be realised over the coming decade.
“From the position of the Rijeka Port Authority and the state, I want to emphasise that we’re all extremely proud of this project. It’s a huge honour and privilege for us to be part of a joint project with world leaders Maersk Group and APM Terminals. It’s very important for the project and the entire transport system of this country that we also have the Croatian company ENNA Logic here. I’d like to thank the leaders and team of Rijeka Gateway for their excellent cooperation. I’d also like congratulate them on their professional management of the project and wish them a successful completion of this complex joint venture”, said Denis Vukorepa, Director of the Rijeka Port Authority.
an ode to prominent rijeka women
The newly arrived STS cranes, together with the two still expected in the first phase of the terminal’s construction, will be named after prominent women who have left their mark on the history and present of the City of Rijeka, and haven’t yet received public recognition in such a way that some city streets or squares carry their name. Almost 8,000 citizens participated in the public selection of the names of the new cranes. After naming the cranes, the terminal area will symbolically bear the name of the Strong Women’s Square of the City of Rijeka, in order to show a strong commitment to the local environment and symbolically define the terminal area as part of the urban complex of Rijeka.
