In order to facilitate reaching the goals of the "Development of Infrastructure on Krievu Island for the Transfer of Port Activities from the City Centre" project co-financed by the European Union (EU) Cohesion Fund, the Board of Directors of the Freeport of Riga has ordered the Freeport of Riga Authority, in cooperation with the Riga City Council and the involved stevedoring companies, to agree upon a set of required activities and a coordinated plan to ensure that the company’s territories in the area of Andrejosta and Eksportosta, as they are, would be freed from coal and other dust-raising bulk freights on a timely basis and that in the beginning of 2019 the processing thereof would be completely ensured in the newly built terminals on Krievu island, says FRA.
“The Freeport of Riga has expressed its strong position – there will not be any departures from the deadlines of implementation of the Krievu island project. As of 1 January 2019, not even a single ton of coal will be processed in the City Centre”, assures Andris Ameriks, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Freeport of Riga. “The co-financing of the Cohesion Fund was approved with a particular aim – to improve the quality of the environment in the centre of Riga while ensuring a possibility to establish new terminals in another territory of the port”, he continues and points out that, as of the following year, the transhipment of coal cargos will be moved to the newly built infrastructure on Krievu island, which meets the requirements of the 21st century and international environmental standards.
The Krievu island project was commenced in 2010. At the end of 2015, the core infrastructure of the project was put into operation, which consists of four universal piers with a total length of 1.2 km and a depth of 15.5 m at the piers, as well as all necessary transport approach roads and engineering communications to the territory of the port.
Currently, the works of stage 2 of the project being actively performed – additional cargo storage areas are being built, the water supply and sewage systems are being expanded and the capacity of electricity connections is being enlarged. At the same time, work is ongoing in developing an engineering design for the so-called dust fence, 23 metres in height, which would block the wind and is widely applied in transhipment of cargo in the world, including in the USA and Canada. The construction of the fence is planned to be commenced in the nearest future. In addition, the automatic car turnover system technologies have also been built which will ensure not only quicker cargo processing but will also prevent dust from reaching and spreading into the environment, which arises as a result of pouring coal cargo.
“Thanks to new, modern technological solutions – underground automatic car turnover stations, bulk freight conveyer lines, coal spraying and the wind fence, it will be possible to ensure effective and environmentally friendly storage and transhipment of cargo on Krievu island”, Ansis Zeltiņš, CEO of the Freeport of Riga, claims with confidence.
In accordance with the approved action plan, the creation of the infrastructure required for operation of all the terminals on Krievu island will be finished by Autumn of this year, and as of 1 January 2019, the transhipment of bulk freights must commence at the terminals of Krievu island, thus reaching the overall aims of the project "Development of Infrastructure on Krievu Island for the Transfer of Port Activities from the City Centre" – to prevent the impact of the port activities on the environment of the Riga Centre, as well as to ensure that the competitiveness of the port is maintained within the Baltic Sea Region, by moving the port’s terminals to Krievu island.