“BMGS S” to deliver to the Freeport of Riga the completed infrastructure object
On Monday, November 16 at 14:00 a festive ceremony will take place - a general partnership “BMGS S” will deliver to the Freeport of Riga the completed infrastructure object, that was built in the framework of “Development of Infrastructure on Krievu Island for the Transfer of Port Activities from the City Centre” - the most ambitious project in the history of the restored Latvian independence, the company said in its press release.
At the same time, this project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Latvia - 133.65 million euros were invested into its implementation. Of these, the EU Cohesion Fund’s input amounts up to 77.19 million euros, while the Freeport of Riga has provided 56, 46 million euros (a loan from Nordea Bank and Pohjola Bank). 4 dry bulk cargo handling berths with a total length of 1,180 meters and the depth at the berths of 15,5m, as well as all the necessary road and rail access tracks, utilities and communications to the port area were built on Krievu Island. The total capacity of Krievu Island project is 20 million tons of bulk cargo per year.
The project “Development of Infrastructure in the Krievu Island for the Transfer of Port Activities from the City Centre” was launched in 2006. During those nine years an environmental impact assessment was performed and the technical design was elaborated, the EU funding was attracted, as well as practical construction work was completed. The site, which a few years ago could be called a degraded one, now boasts the deepwater berths and modern infrastructure, that comply with the best global port practices. Virtually all of the Freeport of Riga employees have provided the tremendous input into the implementation of the project as well as the general contractor – a general partnership BMGS S.
The completion of the object’s construction paves the way to further project objectives: to prevent environmental degradation , caused by the port operation in Andrejsala and Eksportosta areas, and to ensure the competitiveness of the port in the Baltic Sea region; ~ 35% of the Freeport of Riga cargo turnover will be transferred from the city center and the protection zone of the Riga historical center to the appropriate areas; the port cargo turnover on the right and on the left bank of the River Daugava will be balanced, which will relieve the city center from the port terminal operating impacts, including increased road and rail traffic, noise and coal dust.