The Klaipeda Port Authority said it plans to invest EUR308 million ($332 million) in modern infrastructure, "maritime business value creation" and sustainability solutions.
In addition to the traditional annual investments in the modernisation of port quays, renewal of railway lines, and dredging of the shipping channel, the port authority said it will also focus on developing new infrastructure in the port
This will include infrastructure for offshore wind energy projects on the Smelte Peninsula. The existing quays will be reconstructed, and as the area will be used for the assembly, stevedoring, storage, and transport of wind turbines, the site will be adapted to accommodate high loads (40 t/m²), with the water area depths adjusted to meet new requirements.
Klaipeda Port is also preparing to implement one of the largest projects in its history – the development of a new 100-hectare area in the southern part of the port. Funds have been earmarked for preparatory work on its development in the coming years, and investors are being sought.
New infrastructure will also be developed for cruise shipping. The reconstruction of existing quays and the construction of new ones will soon begin on land at the centre of the city. Water depths will also be adjusted to meet the new requirements of the area.
Ferries will be moored in the port from 2026 and will be supplied with electricity directly from the shore. Three stations be installed at Klaipeda Central Terminal and one at Klaipeda Container Terminal in the southern part of the port.
The electrification of quays is also planned for those quays where container ships and cruise liners, as well as the Klaipeda Port fleet, are moored.
A new fleet base is currently under construction and will be ready to accommodate three new ships by the end of this year. Two hybrid pilot boats and the country’s first green hydrogen-powered waste collection ship are currently under construction.