The Liepāja SEZ Authority has implemented the project

The works on the Karosta Canal, in accordance with the signed contract and the approved Karosta Canal rehabilitation programme, were carried out by SIA "Eko osta". The rehabilitation works of the Karosta Canal started in April 2023, and were completed on December 5, 2023. The total amount of the contract was EUR 3,334,877.50, excluding the value added tax.

Gunārs Ansiņš, Chairman of the Liepaja City Council, emphasized the importance of the work done, as the Karosta Canal was included in the HELCOM “hot spots” list in 1992. It was a very complicated situation as in a small area – the Karosta Canal, we faced both – the Soviet military legacy, sunken ships, and submarines, and more than 100 different chemical elements of the Mendeleev's periodic table of elements. This meant that we as the country, as the city of Liepaja and as the Baltic Sea region had to gradually clean up the Canal, which we have successfully done step by step.

The Liepaja SEZ CEO Uldis Hmieļevskis states that the Port of Liepaja, including the Karosta Canal is an integral part of the Liepaja SEZ and, accordingly, it must be taken care of, including the legacy of the Soviet times. “In order to be able to further develop shipping, so that new terminals can be built in the Port, we need to clear the Canal and that has been done. A great job has been done!"

Assisted by the Norwegian Financial Instrument, the Liepaja SEZ Authority implemented the III round of the Karosta Canal rehabilitation to make a serious investment in mitigating the risks of the climate change as well as the spread of historical pollution in the Baltic Sea and the surrounding environment. The Project Manager, Ivo Koliņš, admits, that the remediation works will continue and there is a clear short-term and long-term future activity plan in order to minimize historical pollution and its impact on the entire Baltic Sea ecosystem.

Today, the territory of Karosta - the former Soviet military base - is becoming an increasingly important socio-economic and domestic part of the city, thus the Canal clean-up works carried out by implementing the said project will allow local residents and tourists to enjoy the values of Karosta in a cleaner and better quality environment, promoting restoration of its water ecosystems and reduction of pollution.