The Adriatic Gate Container Terminal (AGCT) at the Port of Rijeka, Croatia, handled 300,000 TEU in 2020 and set a new annual container handling record, according to International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI).
The terminal operator said the milestone was reached despite the significant challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Volume at the terminal grew by 12% in 2020 after growth of 20% in 2019 – this was driven largely by a 30% increase in rail traffic.
With the successful development of the new intermodal yard including the commissioning of two RMGs and new shunting tunnel, the terminal has significantly increased rail capacity.
Emmanuel Papagiannakis, AGCT CEO, commented, “Whilst we traditionally mainly focused on the local market with select services to neighboring countries, a reliable intermodal product led to new rail services to Central Europe and East Europe, which increased options for shippers, leading to higher volumes.
With 70% of volume now coming from outside the Croatian market and from East and Central Europe, AGCT will continue developing the port and intermodal offering.”
The 300,000th TEU was an export container, which arrived by train on a regular rail service from Central Europe and was seamlessly loaded to a vessel deployed on one of the direct ocean services connecting North Adriatic to the Far East.
Papagiannakis added, “We would like to thank all our customers and rail partners for their support, our employees for their dedication and other stakeholders for their contribution that brought about this proud moment for AGCT and Rijeka.”
