Rijeka port container terminal

To enhance its competitiveness, the Port of Rijeka Authority has undertaken the implementation of the new Deep Sea Container Terminal, which will provide state-of-the-art port facilities. This project represents an important element of the Rijeka Gateway Project and involves the creation of a terminal designed as a straight pier. This terminal will have a length of 680 meters and width of 300 meters. It is planned to have a sea depth of at least 20 meters, accommodating container vessels of various sizes. The construction of this terminal is divided into two phases: the first phase entails building a 400-meter-long pier, followed by the second phase, which involves constructing an additional 280 meters. After both phases are completed, the Port of Rijeka will boast a total pier length of 680 meters. The Zagreb Deep Sea Container Terminal (ZDSCT) will occupy an approximate surface area of 20 hectares (680 meters in length and 300 meters in width). Part of this area is currently used by existing port facilities, such as piers, roads, railway tracks, warehouses, utilities, and employee facilities, covering approximately 10.3 hectares. The remaining 7.2 hectares of terminal space will be created by constructing the new pier and reclaiming land from the sea.

Upon the completion of the full-length pier, a 680-meter-long and 20-meter-deep quay will be available, capable of accommodating container vessels exceeding 165,000 deadweight tons (DWT) and lengths exceeding 366 meters (modern ships with a capacity of over 14,000 TEU). Furthermore, the 680-meter-long pier allows for the simultaneous mooring of smaller vessels, up to 50,000 DWT and up to 250 meters in length (vessels with a capacity of up to 4,000 TEU). The new pier is constructed using reinforced concrete caissons, supported by a seabed stone embankment. The ground beneath the embankment is reinforced with gravel pillars and jet grouting. The overall height level of the pier, which includes the area for vessel mooring and container crane operations (with a 35-meter track gauge), is set at +4.05 meters. Backfilling with stone material behind the pier structure creates the operating and storage surface of the terminal, extending up to the project boundary and marshalling tracks to the north. The storage area, complete with connecting roads, spans 680 meters in length and 170 to 250 meters in width. The warehouse plateau slopes downward from the pier toward the north, seamlessly integrating with the surrounding operational zone of the existing port and marshalling tracks at +3.55 meters. The container terminal will be linked to the new state road D-403, connecting the Port of Rijeka, specifically the Zagreb Deep Sea Container Terminal, to the Škurinje junction, currently under construction. This connection will link the Zagreb Deep Sea Container Terminal to the Croatian motorway network and the main TEN-T corridor network. The road D403 stretches approximately 3 kilometers from the Port of Rijeka (ZDSCT) to the Škurinje junction on the Rijeka bypass, including a branch for connection to the city road network.

Simultaneously, the European Project "Upgrade of the Rijeka Port infrastructure – Zagreb Deep Sea Container Terminal (POR2CORE-ZCT)" aims to enhance the development of the Port of Rijeka as a key port in the Mediterranean, ensuring the efficiency, sustainability, and multimodality of freight transport. This project was submitted during the second call of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Traffic 2015, Cohesion envelope. A grant agreement, numbered INEA/CEF/TRAN/M2015/1138367, was signed on November 18, 2016, between the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency and the Port of Rijeka Authority, securing 85% co-financing from European funds. The total project value amounts to 31.6 million EUR. Institut IGH took part in the project Construction of the Operational Coast - Zagreb Pier for quality and material control services while constructing the Zagreb Pier container terminal in Rijeka.