Klaipeda Seaport Authority and Jurbarkas launch a joint project to develop a river cargo port in Jurbarkas, on the Nemunas River.

The municipality and the Maritime Port Authority will sign a cooperation agreement on Friday.

„The development of freight transport on the Nemunas River is accelerating. Investments made in recent years are encouraging us to think about how to make river navigation even more active. One solution is the development of a river freight port in Jurbarkas on the Nemunas River, which is expected to give a boost to the Jurbarkas Economic Zone, the Directorate said.

In early August, the first barge carrying a cargo of Lithuanian grain for export arrived at the port of Klaipėda. The Port Authority said at the time that it planned to transport such cargo from Jurbarkas to Klaipėda on a regular basis.

It is estimated that one barge on the Nemunas carries about the same amount of grain as 40-54 trucks, which is expected to reduce the amount of truck traffic on the roads and in Klaipėda's streets.The 1,000-tonne load arrived in about 16 hours, but in the future it could take up to 13 hours to reach Klaipėda, including at night.

Klaipeda port manager Algis Latakas has previously said that in the future it would be possible to extend the waterway to Jonava so that fertiliser cargoes could also be transported from "Achema" to Klaipeda.

In the past, Latakas said, gravel was transported from Jurbarkas by barges, and in recent years, oversized cargo and containers have been transported along the Nemunas, but such journeys have not been made on a regular basis.