Croatia inaugurated on Wednesday the Rijeka container terminal, a 600 million-euro investment built to position the country's biggest port as a regional logistics hub, port authorities said in a statement.
Developed by APM Terminals and ENNA Group, the Rijeka Gateway terminal represents Croatia’s largest private investment in logistics infrastructure, they said.
The investment exceeds 380 million euros ($443.2 million), and together with spending on roads and railways in and around the port, the total sum reaches 600 million euros.
Once it is fully operational, the terminal will have 300 employees.
The terminal, which began operations in September, offers 400 meters of quay and capacity for 650,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), with plans to expand to 680 meters and more than one million TEUs.
It is equipped with remotely-operated cranes, renewable energy systems, and Croatia’s first private 5G industrial network.
"Geographically, we are excellently positioned, we are closer to the Far East and closer to the heart of Europe," said ENNA Group CEO Bostjan Napast.
"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."
($1 = 0.8575 euros)
(Reuters)