Slovenia: Dredging to Bring Benefits to Luka Koper

Last week, the director of Slovenian Maritime Administration (SMA) Jadran Klinec and Luka Koper’s Management Board President Gašpar Gašpar Mišič signed a letter of intent in order to provide a comprehensive collaboration with a special emphasis on the following issues:

– regular forms of professional collaboration (appointment of a work group);

– collaboration in the absorption of EU grants for the projects of common interest;

– mutual access to information of common interest (through web technologies);

– ICT links for arriving vessels;

– more efficient methods to deliver information on waste and other safety information;

– solutions for the installation of surveillance equipment in order to provide maximum security and efficiency at Luka Koper.

Upon this occasion, SMA’s Director Jadran Klinec informed the Luka Koper officials about the order issued by the Administration that allows vessels with 12.5 metre draft to enter the Basin I and hence the Container Terminal.

This will make it easier for Luka Koper to wait for the completion of the second stage of dredging operations to 14 metres that will be finished by the end of April; thus far the maximum permissible draft was 11.8 metres. Consequently, Luka Koper will be able to increase the cargo throughput up to 1,800 TEUs upon vessels’ entering as well as leaving which is an increase of up to 3,600 TEUs per individual vessel.

“The development of Luka Koper is also in the interest of the state. Increased sea depths and increased permissible draft will allow larger and modern vessels to arrive to Koper,” pointed out SMA’s Director Jadran Klinec upon delivering the Administration’s order.

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Press Release, March 10, 2014