The Port of Koper has launched construction works for the extension of the southern part of Pier I, which is a “key infrastructural project for the container segment,” according to Luka Koper.
The first phase of the project consists of the quayside extension of 98.5m and 34.4m in width. The quayside is expected to be completed in March 2021 bringing the total length of the quay to 695m.
In the second phase, 24.830m2 of additional stacking areas for containers will be constructed. These works should be completed by 2022.
With the extension of Pier I the annual capacity of the container terminal will rise to 1.3 million TEU, while together with the optimisation of various terminal processes, the capacity is expected to increase further to 1.5 million TEU/year. In addition to the annual capacity increase, daily yard capacity will also benefit from these investments.
Furthermore, the average yard utilisation in 2020 fluctuates between 60 – 70%, which enables smooth operations on all levels. New stacking areas will provide additional room for handling occasional peaks, when the daily yard utilisation can exceed 90% of the capacity.
Moreover, the value of the investment is €45,6 million (US$53.4 million), according to an announcement, partially co-financed from the NAPA4CORE project of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme.
“With the optimisation of processes, we have also increased the capacity of the railway segment of the container terminal, contributing to reliable and time-efficient intermodal services,” Luka Koper added, as a fourth rail-mounted gantry (RMG), which should become operational this September, will further strengthen the performance on the rail segment.
