According to Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevicius, the new passenger and cargo terminal will produce favourable conditions for the successful extension of sea-transportation services and tourism sector. In addition, the establishment of JSC Central Klaipeda Terminal is highly important to the majority of transportation sectors as an additional intermodal carriage pivot occurs, which has a direct connection with IXB corridor and Klaipeda-Vilnius highway. JSC Central Klaipeda Terminal is able to moor up to 3 ships at a time such as ro-ro and passenger ships, ro-pax ferries and cruise ships. It is capable of handling up to 5 million tons of ro-ro cargo a year and taking up to half a million passengers annually.
General Director of Klaipeda State Sea Port Authority Arvydas Vaitkus states that Port of Klaipeda already stands out with impressive ro-ro cargo quantities as Klaipeda is the leading ro-ro cargo port in the region. The opening of JSC Central Klaipeda Terminal will double the capacities and capabilities of handling ro-ro cargo in Klaipeda. Ports of Baltic States have attractive and tourist-friendly prices in general, so the modernisation of customer services for passengers and significant investment to the infrastructure will boost strategical advantages of Klaipeda in comparison with the other Baltic ports
JSC Central Klaipeda Terminal did the installation work and became the operator of the new terminal. General Director of JSC Central Klaipeda Terminal Benediktas Petrauskas states, “We are proud of this terminal; for the creation of it we invoked cutting-edge solutions, therefore we hope that Central Klaipeda Terminal will be convenient travel destination for both, tourists and those, who are working at sea.”
The layout of JSC Central Klaipeda Terminal was made in 2006, and the construction started in 2010. The terminal was financed by Klaipeda State Sea Port Authority, investments by private sector, and EU support. The approximate total value of the project is around 185 mln. litas. Klaipeda State Sea Port Authority has invested 110 mln. litas and 57 mln. litas was invested from EU funds into the infrastructure of new-built passenger and cargo terminal.
According to the Acting CEO of Achema Group Romualdas Zadeika, “Klaipeda Port can be and has to be a gateway to Europe and the world, therefore we decided to cooperate in creating here an attractive and convetient point for contact development – Central Klaipeda Terminal. Its modern infrastructure will ensure that the project’s benefits will be felt not only in Klaipeda, but also nationwide – expanding sea ferry services and cargo transportation between Lithuania and the other Baltic states.”
It is estimated that the total value of the project is about 185 million. LTL. To the establishment of the new passenger and cargo terminal infrastructure Klaipeda State Seaport Authority invested about 110 million LTL, about half of the amount was allocated by the EU – 57 million LTL of Cohesion Fund.