Klaipeda Port Opens Tender for Southern Expansion Project

Lithuania’s Klaipėda Port Authority has launched a construction tender to develop the southern section of the port, which involves creating 100 hectares of new land.

The winning contractor will be tasked with land reclamation in the Curonian Lagoon, dredging operations, and constructing a 1,300-metre quay alongside a coastal protection wall at Kiaulės Nugaras Island.

Additional works outlined in the tender include dismantling the Marios–Juodkrantė section of an overhead 110 kV power transmission line, laying an underground cable line, building stormwater networks, and assisting with pier construction.

“The contractors who will build the piers have already settled at the construction site,” confirmed Algis Latakas, Director General of the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.

Minister of Transport and Communications Juras Taminskas described the initiative as the largest port expansion in the history of independent Lithuania, noting that the reclaimed area equals the size of an entire residential district.

Once developed, the 100-hectare site will accommodate new terminals to expand container handling and marine engineering activities, with the port estimating an annual cargo capacity of about 30 million tonnes.

Funding for the works will draw primarily from the Klaipėda Port Strategic Activity Plan for 2026–2029, which allocates nearly €600 million ($682 million) to the development. Including capital from future commercial partners, total investment across the expanded territory is projected by port authorities to exceed €1 billion.

Earlier this month, a government meeting approved the leasing procedure for the planned territory. A separate tender to select the terminal operator will be launched later this year, according to port management.