Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 08:47 by ce-press
Each year a member port hosts the CE conference giving members, cruise line executives and the press an opportunity to visit the port facilities and the city, a short walk away.
This year the city is expecting 54 calls. The largest cruiseship that can be accommodated at the Riga Passenger Terminal is 290m in length and with a 8m draught. Every spring the river is dredged to 10m by the Freeport of Riga Aurthority. There is an alternative berth further downstream, KS Terminal, which has no draught restrictions and is 25 minutes into the city centre by shuttle bus.
“Every year we spend a lot of resources to have our berth working in a proper way so we can allow all ships to come and use our port and terminal,” commented Juris Dreimanis board member Riga Passenger Terminal.
For the future the dream is to build a new terminal and to attract turnaround calls. A competition for the design was held two years ago which was won by local architects NRJA. RPT is looking for investors/developers to join them in the 10 hectare real estate project which would also include a hotel, restaurants, shopping, offices and apartments.
At a meeting with cruiseline executives, cruiseline executives discussed what is needed from a new terminal in practical terms and that a source market and excellent airlift are vital for homeporting.
The historical city centre is on the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list. It is easy to get around on foot and for Art Nouveau lovers it is a must. There are almost a hundred buildings and a museum housed in the apartment of architect Konstantins Peksens in building of his own design. The 19th century warehouse area ‘Spikeri’, wooden architecture of Kipsala, the market housed in hangars once used to shelter Zeppelins, Riga Dome Cathedral with organ recitals are just a few of the sights to be visited in this gem of a capital city.
The port was first established in the late 12th century. In its time Livonia's, Latvians, Germans, Russians and Poles have called Riga their city. In 1991 Latvia regained its independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. For those wanting to get a sense of its more recent history a visit to the Museum of Occupation or the the former KGB building which opened its doors for the first time on May 1 are worth a visit.
