According to the current plan, a new passenger and ro-ro cargo terminal “Riga RoPax Terminal” will start operating in the southern part of Riga Eksportosta in 2025, which will provide modern and environmentally friendly ferry passenger service in Riga and create new opportunities for the development of the ro-ro cargo segment, says Freeport of Riga press center.
On Friday, May 27, during the meeting of the Freeport of Riga Authority officials with representatives of the Riga City Council, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Economy, the spatial planning company SIA “Metrum”, the Estonian architectural firm “R-Konsult OU”, other industry actors and those involved in the RoPax project further steps in the development of the Riga passenger terminal project were discussed.
The project of the new RoPax terminal includes a publicly accessible waterfront, new commercial premises, creative space, wider retail opportunities and modern infrastructure for passengers and ro-ro cargo, as well as improved public space and additional infrastructure for cruise ships with the prospect of creating a cruise line home port with restaurants and cafés accessible to local neighbourhood community, providing reduction of noise and air pollution in the city centre and safe traffic.
At present, a letter of intent has been signed by the Freeport of Riga Authority and the project developer to build a new passenger and cruise ship/ ro-ro cargo terminal. In 2018, the development of a local plan for the RoPax project area part was started, and currently the local plan has been practically prepared to be submitted to the Riga City Council for approval. Under the leadership of the experienced Estonian company “R-Konsult OU,” a sketch project of the terminal has been developed, which includes not only the terminal layout, but also the development of the adjacent territory - facilities and public areas, as well as quality access to the waterfront.
During the meeting, the parties were introduced to the project plan, the benefits that the development of such a project would bring to Riga, as well as to the feasibility study conducted by “Deloitte Latvia.” At the end of 2021, the developers of the RoPax project together with “Deloitte Latvia” conducted market research analysing the future potential of the project. The most important conclusion of the research is that the construction of such a terminal will significantly promote the competitiveness of the Port of Riga. In the first half of this year, a sketch project of the terminal has been developed, cooperation offers for cruise and ferry lines have been drafted, and currently the main task is to ensure the approval of the local plan.
Viesturs Zeps, Chairman of the Board of the Freeport of Riga: “Riga, with its ambition as a Nordic metropolis, has long needed a modern passenger terminal. The potential of our capital in the cruise tourism segment is clearly confirmed by the record number of registered ship calls to Riga for this year's season. The “Riga RoPax Terminal” project and the planned operating model will create good preconditions for both passengers and transportation, so that Riga can become the home port of ferry and cruise lines, being able to safely accommodate and provide for both regular lines and cruise ships arriving in Riga. There will be new, stable jobs and income for both the capital and the Latvian economy, a benefit to Riga's overall image, as well as to the tourism and services sector.
At the moment, all of us - the Freeport of Riga Authority, the Riga City Council and entrepreneurs - have to work together so that the vision of a new passenger port terminal gets a realistic outline, and we can implement it in accordance with the project deadlines and plan.”
Jūlija Bērziņa, “Riga RoPax Terminal” project manager: “We are currently actively working to attract investors to the project. A few weeks ago, we went to the world's largest cruise industry forum, ‘Seatrade Cruise Global,” in the United States. In March, we participated in the international real estate and investment forum “MIPIM 2022” in France. In the current geopolitical situation, there are many challenges, but also untapped opportunities. We see that there are market participants interested in Riga and modern passenger, cruise and ro-ro cargo terminals, which opens up opportunities for our capital to rank on the map of European cruise ship ports and even more. The development of the “Rail Baltica” project highlights a need for a modern passenger terminal, which might become one of the three hubs of Riga's mobility, strengthening land, air and water traffic.”