Such a gathering of the country’s top leaders and politicians in one place Šventoji may never have seen before. Both the president, the prime minister, ministers, and party leaders.
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President Gitanas Nausėda pointed out that the port of Šventoji was significant even during the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
“Even the First Independent Republic of Lithuania, which planned and built the port of Šventoji in the interwar period, lacked the time to revive the port from the ashes. However, today I have no doubt: this time Šventoji and Lithuania will definitely succeed,” said the head of state.
According to G. Nausėda, the new port is an opportunity not only for Šventoji but for the entire region.
G. Nausėda emphasized the example of Belgium. This country has only 60 km of coastline but as many as 5 ports.
“Lithuania is a maritime state, and a maritime state lives by the sea, builds connections with the sea, constructs ports, nurtures sailors, and is not afraid to look far beyond the horizon,” vividly said Minister of Transport Juras Taminskas during the event.
Honorary president of the Lithuanian Sailing Union Robertas Dargis stated during the event that the construction of this port is like a cornerstone for the maritime strategy.
“One becomes a maritime state when the attitude towards the sea becomes close,” said R. Dargis.
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In 2011, the port directorate, then led by Eugenijus Gentvilas, held a solemn opening of the Šventoji port. The port entrance channel was deepened, but that was not enough. Already overnight, the port of Šventoji became too shallow again for ships with greater draft – without the construction of breakwaters, the Baltic waves quickly covered the channel to the harbor with sand.
In 2018, by government decision, the port of Šventoji was transferred to the Palanga municipality. Palanga mayor Šarūnas Vaitkus admitted during the event that at first even the idea of having a port seemed like a huge adventure.
“We received a call from the then government chancellor. Invited to come to Vilnius. The then government leaders said that an initiative from the municipality was needed because the prepared documents would expire and nothing would happen.
I called my team, told them what a challenge it was, which sounded like an adventure because if the state cannot build a port, how can the municipality,” recalled Š. Vaitkus.
- Two new outer breakwaters will form the entrance to the port and protect it from the Baltic Sea waves and sand deposits.
- It is planned to build a 647.5-meter-long southern breakwater and a 402.5-meter-long northern breakwater.
- Along the length of the southern breakwater, a 9-meter-wide promenade is planned for pedestrians and port visitors.
- The northern breakwater will primarily serve a coastal protection function – it will retain sand deposits and help ensure stable entrance functioning. Due to its construction, it will not be intended for visitors or walks.
- Hydrotechnical structures will be installed using stone boulders, reinforced concrete, and metal structures.
In June, the municipality signed a contract with the contractors. They committed to start work on the coast already in autumn and complete the breakwaters within two years. The signed contract value is 38.23 million euros. The work will be carried out by UAB “Tilsta.”
During the event, “Tilsta” CEO Algirdas Grinaveckas said that the breakwaters will be ready by 2028. “I want to promise everyone that this project will be implemented by our hands and we will meet here in the summer of 2028,” he said. Eleven engineers will work on this project.
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