An artist's impression of the new container terminalConstruction of a new remote-controlled container terminal is underway at the Port of Rijeka in Croatia.
APM Terminals says the EUR380 million (USD406 million) terminal will begin operating in 2025.
Rijeka Gateway chief executive officer Koen Benders says: “Rijeka Gateway will be the first port on the Adriatic with remote-controlled electrical container cranes and with a quay depth of 20 meters we are ready to welcome some of the world's largest container vessels."
With a 50-year concession period, Rijeka Gateway will serve as a main entry point to hinterland countries and markets.
"In the first phase, we will be able to process a total of 650,000 TEU annually, and we expect growth to over a million TEU per year in the next phase,” says Rijeka Gateway chief financial officer Tomislav Zunic.
“In the long run, we expect that those numbers will keep on growing. We estimate in 2026, the fiscal contribution to the state will be around EUR100 million (USD107 million), growing up to EUR200 million (USD214 million) after 2030.”
The terminal, which will create more than 300 jobs locally, is a joint venture between the A.P. Moller – Maersk, through APM Terminals, and the ENNA Group, through ENNA Logic.
A.P. Moller – Maersk Europe president Aymeric Chandavoine says: “Once completed, Rijeka Gateway will provide new opportunities by significantly reducing transit times to the Adriatic and Central European markets.
“Thanks to its rail connectivity with the hinterland it will open a new logistics chapter for Croatia and the region.”
Croatian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Josip Bilaver, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony as the envoy of the Croatian Prime Minister, says: “Rijeka Gateway will contribute to the long-term positioning of the port of Rijeka as a transport hub and include Croatia on the transport and economic map of the world.”