Rail Garant News

Rail Garant Group won a tender for construction of a new container terminal at the Estonian Port of Muuga and signed a co-operation agreement with the Port of Tallinn.

Rail Garant Group started development of the terminal in January, 2012, as prescribed in the agreement. The first piling ceremony was held on January 30th. “In general, we are going to complete the first phase of terminal, including craneways, railway lines and civil engineering infrastructure, in 2012” – said Nikolay Falin, member of the Management Board of Rail Garant, during a press conference.

The terminal construction tender was won by a consortium including Lemminkäinen Eesti AS and Insenerehituse AS, which united the expertise of both companies for design and construction work at the terminal. “In the first phase of the project, meaning this winter, we will ram piles, enforce a berth, and build bases for cranes and railway lines. In the next phase, planned for this spring, we will start construction of the terminal grounds” - noted Sven Pertens, Chairman of the Board of Lemminkäinen Eesti.

The crane equipment required to commission the first phase will have been fully delivered and mounted by the end of the year. The first shipping operations are expected in the first quarter of 2013.

Rail Garant plans to increase monthly cargo traffic up to 10 thousand TEU by the fourth quarter of next year. Annual volume is forecasted to reach 125 thousand TEU in 2014. Over this period, the company expects to achieve full capacity for the first phase, and start the second phase, which will raise the annual terminal capacity up to 270 thousand TEU.

In the longer term, the company plans to create a sea hub capable of serving ocean vessels. We believe that the Port of Muuga and the new terminal have all the parameters required for this purpose,” - explains Mr Falin.