Rijeka Gateway (RGW), a container terminal on the Zagreb Coast in the Port of Rijeka owned by Mærsk and the Enna group Pavla Vujnovca, is expected to be the most technologically advanced container terminal in the region once all investments are completed. The first phase of the project is underway. It involves the construction of the terminal, into which approximately two hundred million euros have already been invested. According to current plans, the terminal is expected to have an annual capacity of 650,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) and the completion of this phase is anticipated in the second half of the year. The second phase envisions expanding capacity to one million TEU and an additional investment of 180 million euros, which will be carried out over the next ten years. This is a significant amount of money, but for good reason.
Namely, by the end of the year, around three hundred people should be working at the terminal, with the first cargoes already agreed upon and on their way. The goal of this project is to position Rijeka as a key entry point for Central European markets in the long term. Whether it will succeed in this and what the terminal means for the development of the port, the local community, and the Croatian economy, we discuss with Tomislav Rosandić, a member of the Management Board of RGW, the company that manages it.
What stage is the development of the terminal on the Zagreb Coast at? Are there challenges that could affect the planned completion date and the start of operational work?
– We are nearing the end of the construction phase, which includes the final works on the terminal’s infrastructure alongside the renovation of Warehouse 22. The final works on equipping the terminal have reached ninety percent, with most of the equipment ordered and arriving as planned, ensuring the uninterrupted continuation of activities. In October of last year, we received the first cranes. They have been installed and their testing has been completed, which is an important step in the technical realization of the project. The remaining two shore STS (ship-to-shore) cranes arrived a few days ago, which means that almost all key equipment is on site. Despite challenges such as aligning delivery timelines and logistical operations, the terminal is progressing. We have already employed a hundred people, seven of whom came directly from university. Our teams continue to work diligently to ensure the terminal begins operations in the second half of the year, in accordance with previously announced deadlines.
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