PORTS & HARBOURS

Klaipeda oil terminal expansion

7 years ago

Work is starting on the expansion of the oil terminal in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to allow it to handle deeper draft tankers and to increase the number of berths from two to three writes Dag Pike.

Agreement has been reached between KN, the operator of the terminal and the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority (KSSA), to develop the KN Petroleum owned Quay No.1 with reconstruction works to the value of €22.5 million. Joint venture partners Tilsta UAB and Fegda UAB won the public tender with an overall value of €100 million for work that will extend over two years involving both construction works and dredging.

The plans include dredging of the water adjacent to Quay No.1 and in the adjacent shipping channel to a depth of 17 metres and bringing a currently unused 235 metres long stretch of quay into operation for tanker loading. On completion of the planned reconstruction work KN will be able to receive and load 3 tankers at a time in Klaipeda Oil Terminal an increase from the current two ship capacity.

“The market has been dictating the need for these changes for some time with the amount of cargo expanding, new types of cargo emerging, and customer expectations changing.” said Darius Šilenskis, the Business Director of KN Petroleum.

“These are extremely significant works that will further increase the competitiveness of Klaipeda Port. By rebuilding the quays and providing a maximum depth of 17 meters to them, KN will be able to accommodate larger vessels. The reconstruction of the quays is planned to be carried out in several stages, the work being carried out in such a way that the cargo handling is not disturbed. said Vidmantas Paukštė, Director of Infrastructure of the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority, acting as the Director General.

After the completion of the first phase, two more quay reconstruction stages are planned, each with an estimated duration of about 2 years. During Phases II and III, it is planned to reconstruct the currently used quay infrastructure by installing anchored façade span wall quay structures. In parallel, reconstruction of the breakwaters and deepening of the shipping channel up to 17 meters are planned. As a result of the project, KN will be able to accept vessels with draft up to 17 m and increase loading capacity.