International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI) has announced that the Adriatic Gate Container Terminal (AGCT) at the Port of Rijeka, Croatia, will be able to handle bigger vessels after a contract for the dredging of the south berth was signed.
According to a statement, the contract includes deepening the seabed by 100 metres along the coastal wall quay, which will increase the depth to 428 metres.
“The 100m deepening is crucial for our business as the required berth depth is a key requirement for container shipping companies to efficiently keep calling Port of Rijeka and for AGCT to remain a gateway in North Adriatic, ” according to Emmanuel Papagiannakis, AGCT CEO.
“Current depth for 328m restricts the number of containers that can be handled on container ships that are currently berthing at AGCT, reducing call size and creating underutilized vessels.
“With seabed dredged another 100m, the largest vessels calling the Adriatic 15,000 TEU (20 ft containers) can maximize volumes without restriction and reduce berthing/unberthing time for larger vessels calling AGCT.
ICTSI said allowing larger vessels will improve cargo flows between Asia and Europe and allow businesses to meet the demands of a growing Central European market.
AGCT has performed strongly in recent times, seeing a 20% growth in the first five months of 2020, which included a record monthly volume in May, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
