Container terminal Rijeka Gateway celebrated its official inauguration in an event attended by more than 300 guests including the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen. The celebration marks the opening of the most modern and technologically advanced container terminal of the Adriatic region after two years of construction and with commercial operations starting in September this year.
“Rijeka has a strategic advantage as first point of entry to central and South-Eastern Europe as well as being connected to fast inland services. And we hope soon to see a positive impact here in Croatia”, says Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals and underlines: “It is our imperative that we do not only service shipping lines as a terminal operator: We service the communities and the country we operate in and who trust us with a part of their critical infrastructure. That is why we aim to work closely with local partners and authorities to ensure a long-term positive impact on growth, jobs and local economy”, Keith Svendsen ends.
Rijeka Gateway, a joint venture between APM Terminals and Enna Group, represents the largest private investment in logistics infrastructure in Croatia. And the new terminal ensures a strategic important position for Rijeka and Croatia as a logistical gate to Central and Eastern Europe. Rijeka Gateway is included in the East-West network in the Gemini collaboration between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd on the AE12/SE1 route, making it a key terminal on one of the world’s important shipping routes between Asia and Europe.
“The potential of this terminal is enormous and must be fully utilised. Our goal is to strengthen the ports of the northern Adriatic and enhance their competitiveness compared to other European ports, particularly those in the North Sea. Geographically, we are excellently positioned—we are closer to the Far East and closer to the heart of Europe. We also have the expertise and maritime tradition. It is time to restore Rijeka’s position, which it has always held among the ports of the northern Adriatic, and it is time to put Rijeka back on the global logistics map. The next most important step towards unlocking its full potential is the construction of the lowland railway”, said Boštjan Napast, CEO of ENNA Group.
“With the exceptional support of the shareholders, APM Terminals and ENNA Group, and strong backing from numerous institutions—municipal, regional, and national, including the Government of Croatia—we have successfully built and equipped the terminal on schedule, employed over 280 dedicated staff, and started operations. The eighth commercial vessel is already arriving, and while we still have work ahead to achieve the highest operational excellence we have set as our goal, I am confident that with the team we have assembled, we will succeed quickly,“ says Peter Corfitsen, managing director of Rijeka Gateway.
In its first phase, the terminal has 400 meters of quay and an annual capacity of 650,000 TEU, which, after planned expansion in the next phase, will increase to 680 meters of quay and a capacity of over one million TEU. The total investment in Rijeka Gateway exceeds €380 million, and together with the value of transport infrastructure—from roads to the rail interface in and around the port—the investment reaches €600 million. The total number of employees at the terminal will reach 300.
The terminal is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure: four remotely operated ship-to-shore cranes (STS), 15 rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTG), two rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMG), and 28 terminal tractors. All systems are connected to a single remotely operated control center, and the entire terminal is linked via Croatia’s first industrial private 5G-network, enabling a high level of safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Terminal operations will be guided by the latest technology with full automation and the use of renewable energy, making it the first terminal of its kind in the Adriatic region.
