China, Estonia, Investments, Legislation, Port, Transport

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 14:28

Estonia should consider selling Muuga port to Chinese investors

BC, Tallinn, 01.07.2016.Print version
The government should consider privatization of the port of Muuga, Estonia's main merchant port east of Tallinn owned by the state-run Port of Tallinn, the transit businessman Endel Siff says, cites LETA/BNS.

According to Siff, the port could be of interest to Chinese companies that would be able to increase transit flows, the daily Eesti Paevaleht says.


The port of Muuga is no longer the source of solid income for Port of Tallinn and the state that it once was, Siff argues. The transit volumes of operators at Estonia's largest port have markedly shrunk in recent years and there is a big amount of unused capacity in the port that was developed for serving large transit flows, he told the paper.


According to Siff, a potential buyer could be a company from a country with sufficient institutional strength to revive and boost the volume of rail transit through the port of Muuga in both directions. "I have China in mind," he said.


Siff said the government could offer the potential privatizer the opportunity to bring 2,000-5,000 Chinese workers here which he said would create thousands of jobs for Estonians as well. "It would enable Chinese exporters to turn the Muuga port area into a powerful production and logistics center for supplying goods to European countries and Russia. It would also be a significant engine for the development of Estonia's economy and labor market," the businessman said.






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