Contacts

Environmental Safety

By improving the environment-friendly technologies, Freeport of Ventspils has become one of the most environmentally friendly Baltic Sea ports. Sustainable port development includes responsibility for nature, the environment and the community, in which we operate.

Freeport has eight high-risk companies, whose security of operations are supervised by the the state controlling authorities, however, the key role and responsibility for environmental safety is in the hands of the companies thesmelves, and they also provide the maintenence of technological equipment and machinery, compliance with secure technological processes, staff training, risk mitigation planning and implementation, as well as evaluate the potential of technogenic accidents and their consequences.

Ventspils Freeport Authority has no right to impose environmental requirements for port terminals or interfere with their daily activities. Ventspils Freeport Authority is responsible for maintaining cleanliness in the port basin and in cases of oil spills, immediately eliminate it. For prevention of environmental damage the Freeport holds the Waste Oil Collector Group of Vessels and  Contaminated Water Collector Group of Vessels in constant standby. Ventspils Freeport Authority has also set up Booms Storage, and it allows to delimit the boundaries of the port water area and prevent the spread of contamination.

Waste Oil Collector Group of Vessels

Oil waste collector service is responsible of the purity of water in the port, to collect and store waste petroleum products (until they are transfered in Contaminated Water Collector Group of Vessles shipping containers), as well as collect the solid and floating garbage, reeds, etc.. c. pollution. The service has six specialized vessels – Rīva, Svēte, Rinda, Pilsupe, Ostupe and Dokupe, which collect of the oil-containing products and small-size floating objects from the water surface. 

Contaminated Water Collector Group of Vessels

The task of the Contaminated Water Collector Group of Vessels is to receive and transmit the waters polluted with oil and oil products and production wastewaters to water treatment plants. The service has two specialized ships for this purpose – Venta and Užava.

Booms Storage

The end of the North Pier of Ventspils Port has a booms storage that has several hundred meters of different separating booms. If necessary, oil recovery vessels can pull them out and demarcate the place of the spill in the port, and by limiting the oil film, prevent the further spread of contamination and allow to collect it. Great sea booms, with a length of about 600 m, are designed for closing the "port gate" (from the end of the North Pier to the South Pier) and allows to limit pollution discharge into the sea. Another 600 m operational booms are used in case of leakage from tankers or near piers.

Freeport Activity in Civil Protection

Freeport of Ventspils Authority participates in the work of the Civil Protection and the city's Civil Protection Plan. Ventspils Freeport takes part in security measures in all three levels – terminal, port and national level. Standing Fleet duty and other preventive measures have significantly reduced the likelihood of accidents and spills in the port area, besides the port services must be prepared to act quickly at all times.