Mainly, the project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund and its purpose was to unite the Baltic Sea cruise ports to enable solving current problems with joined forces and to support sustainable and quality development of all ports involved in the project.
The Green Cruise Port project consists of analysis of the existent situation in the Baltic Sea and solutions in:
- Port infrastructure development according to sustainability criteria;
- Environmentally friendly passenger land transport links with the port;
- Environmental and economic impact of cruise passenger sightseeing on the port cities.
The plan was developed to work as a roadmap for Riga as well and to boost cruise ship and passenger numbers in Riga while mitigating any negative effects of cruise tourism.
In addition, Ansis Zeltiņš, CEO of the Freeport of Riga noted:
Cruise industry worldwide and in the Baltic Seas region is developing very rapidly ... In the new Freeport of Riga development programme, we have set a goal to make Riga an important cruise port in the Baltic Sea region.
He continued stating that cruise ships play a major role in the environment, city infrastructure and people.
Yet, one of the biggest barriers concerning cruise ports is that the bigger the vessels, the bigger the number of passengers. Therefore, ideal infrastructure is needed in order to be able to accept the vessels and the passengers at the port.
