Riga Port Aims Growth with LNG Move
The Baltic Sea port, Port of Riga is now offering regular port services for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered container vessels to reduce the environmental impact of its operations and boost its container throughput."By officially welcoming the new container ship Containerships Polar, the Port has started regular port services to LNG-powered container vessels," said a press note from the Latvia’s major port said.It is planned that the first two 100% LNG-powered vessels Containerships Polar and Containerships Nord owned by the CMA CGM group container line will arrive at the Port of Riga three times per week, and it is expected that a third LNG vessel will join them in the autumn.
Tugboat Ordered for Service in Port of Riga, Latvia
The vessel is due to be delivered to PKL Flote in the summer of 2013. It is planned to operate the new tugboat in Riga port, where PKL Flote already employs a vessel of the same type – Castor – which has already proved itself very well in Riga Port. PKL intends to keep modernizing its fleet. Twelve new tugboats have been constructed over the past several years, operating in Estonia, Finland and Latvia (Ventspils). The new tugboat is designed as an icebreaking class ARC4, which allows it to operate in areas with one-meter-thick ice, and in addition the tugboat is to be equipped with a powerful external fire-fighting system. It will also be possible for PKL Flote to use the vessel to provide escort tugboat services…
