written by: Dražen Katalinić
The container terminal Rijeka Gateway handled over 370 thousand twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) or slightly more than 225 thousand containers in its first year of operation, and next year the terminal is expected to reach the full capacity of the first phase of investment and handle around 650 thousand twenty-foot equivalent units.
In the first year of commercial operations, one hundred ships docked at the terminal, of which 47 were mother ships – the largest container ships longer than 360 meters operating on intercontinental services between Asia and Europe, and 53 feeder ships connecting Rijeka with regional Italian ports. The terminal also received more than a thousand trains in a year, with a record of seven trains in one day and 20 trains in one week.
At a press conference organized on the occasion of the first anniversary of Rijeka Gateway’s commercial operations, it was particularly emphasized that the terminal has strengthened Rijeka’s logistical position between major Asian ports and the Mediterranean as part of the Gemini shipping network, and new logistical routes have been opened that did not previously exist, connecting Rijeka with regular rail links to Serbia, Hungary, and Austria, as well as with important ports on the Adriatic and in Italy.
Rijeka Gateway has also confirmed its role as a regional logistics hub for container traffic within the Adriatic and is currently the only terminal in the Adriatic performing this type of operations within the Gemini network – operational cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, which encompasses seven major global trade routes and serves to accelerate and optimize traffic. Rijeka Gateway is a key port of call within the Gemini cooperation on the line connecting major Asian ports with the Mediterranean. In this way, Rijeka is further connected to Trieste, Venice, Ravenna, and Ancona.
– Rijeka has always had a vision, and the port has always been the one carrying new development moments. We strive to ensure that the connection of the Rijeka port with the double-track railway goes as quickly as possible, and that container terminals receive an exit with the most efficient part of extracting traffic from the port. This port is not just a local and national interest; it has always been a European hub, and Rijeka Gateway contributes precisely to such positioning of Rijeka – said Nina Perko, Director of the Maritime Administration at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.
Key Railway
Rijeka Gateway board member Tomislav Rosandić stated that 53 percent of traffic is handled by rail, while 47 percent is by road transport, and it is expected that with further development of railway infrastructure and services, the share of rail traffic will increase as a more efficient and sustainable mode of transport. He also reminded that the process of entering and exiting the terminal is fully digitized, and users access services through mobile applications and a reservation system for picking up and dropping off containers, which significantly reduces waiting times, with an average truck processing time of 15 minutes. The terminal received over 80 thousand trucks in its first year of operation.
– During the first year of operation, Rijeka Gateway maintained a high level of operational reliability, with 98 percent availability of port equipment and 99 percent availability of key systems on the operational shore and storage areas, which is on par with the best terminals. For the full potential of the terminal, it will be crucial to plan an increase in railway traffic capacity, and we welcome the activities of the Government of the Republic of Croatia – said Rosandić.
Rijeka Gateway CEO Peter Corfitsen stated that one of the greatest achievements is the establishment of a team of 422 employees with an average age of only 35 years, of which about 20 percent of the workforce are women. More than 92,000 hours have been invested in employee education and professional development.
Director of the Port Authority of Rijeka Denis Vukorepa reminded that thanks to Rijeka Gateway, the total container traffic in the port of Rijeka increased by 66 percent in the first 6 months of this year, and total traffic increased by about 40 percent. He also reminded that work is underway on the project of a new terminal on Krk. He also emphasized that a major port authority from the Far East will soon announce its entry, which, along with its logistics companies, is building a logistics center in Kukuljanovo and invites the Port Authority to enter into co-ownership of that project with them.
