APM Terminals (APMT) and ENNA have signed a 50-year concession agreement for a new container terminal, Rijeka Gateway, on the North Adriatic coast of Croatia.
With the design, construction and operation of the joint venture terminal formalised, the state-of-the-art facility will be jointly developed and operated by the two companies.
Morten Engelstoft, APMT CEO, said: “For APMT, development of this new facility is in line with our newly launched strategy of ‘Safer, Better, Bigger’.
“We want to grow our business where it makes sense and where our customers need us, and this is clearly the case with Rijeka.”
APMT will hold a 51% share in the joint venture, with ENNA holding the other 49%.
The construction of the first phase of the terminal is expected to be completed in three and a half years, which is when the Rijeka Gateway is also expected to become operational.
After the completion of phase two, both phases together will have a projected throughput of 1.055m teu.
Once completed, the new terminal will have a berth length of 400 m (680 m after completion of phase two) and will be equipped with three ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, with four in total with phase two.
Through this joint venture, APMT and ENNA aim to form a strong partnership with proven track record in terminal and intermodal operations.
As the largest currently available in the market, these cranes will make Rijeka Gateway capable of serving vessels of up to 24,000 teu.
The future terminal will be part of APMT’s global network, while benefitting from ENNA’s deep understanding of the local market in Croatia.
Pavao Vujnovac, president of the board of the ENNA Group, said: “APMT and Maersk have been strong business partners for ENNA, and partners who share our values and our business vision.
“We firmly believe that our joint venture of investment into the Zagreb Deep Sea container terminal in Rijeka (Rijeka Gateway) will lay the foundations for further growth and sustainability of the port operations and logistics business in Rijeka and in the Republic of Croatia.”
The new terminal will include efficient and reliable rail connection with the hinterland, linking Rijeka not only with the rest of Croatia but also with neighbouring markets.
This will help Rijeka Gateway be uniquely positioned to become a gateway for the wider region.
Englestoft said: “We see growing need for efficient, well-operated and modern gateway terminals, which serve as entry points to local and regional markets, bringing containerised goods closer to their end consumers.
“We are confident that Rijeka Gateway will become an important spot on the port logistics map, serving not only Croatia, but also the wider Central Europe region.”
Vijnovac said: “Rijeka Gateway and the modernisation of the railway infrastructure is Croatia’s largest national project that will connect the Port of Rijeka with continental Croatia and Central European countries, facilitating business opportunities and fast economic growth not only in logistics, but in all services and industries.”
After the completion of phase one, Rijeka Gateway is projected to employ a significant number of staff directly in addition to other positions created indirectly in connection with terminal operations.
The total number of employees should increase further when phase two becomes operational.
“We know that Rijeka Gateway will become an extraordinarily important factor in the logistics map of Europe,” added Vijnovac.
