Cargo, Gas, Good for Business, Investments, Lithuania, Port, Transport

Vidmantas Paukste, head of infrastructure at the Klaipeda port authority, says the port will award a contract to extend quays number one and two, which will allow Klaipedos Nafta to accommodate up to three tankers at a time instead of the current two.

The projects also involve deepening the channel at the quays from 14 meters to 16.9 meters, the port official said.  

"The plan is to carry out the upgrading of the quays in several stages to ensure that handling operations are not disrupted during the works," Paukste told.

"Once completed, the projects will make it possible for the company to increase oil product loadings," he added.  

Klaipedos Nafta said in late 2017 it would invest up to 20.9 mln euros, including VAT, in upgrading the quays. The company will invest in the quays' superstructure and the port will invest in the infrastructure.

The port authority issued a call for bids from potential contractors on December 27.

The Netherlands' Van Oord is currently upgrading the port's quays at Malku Bay under a contract worth almost 16 mln euros, and Lithuania's Hidrostatyba and Latvia's BMGS are upgrading quays used by Vakaru Laivu Gamykla (Western Shipyard) for 27 mln euros. The channel at the quays is to be deepened to 14.5 meters.