The aim of remediation works in the Ventspils port area (hereinafter – the remediation project) is to eliminate a source of historical oil pollution and to install a filtering barrier, thereby preventing the flow of this pollution with groundwater into the Baltic Sea.
The contamination in the Ventspils port area is not obvious, as it is at a depth of several metres. On the surface, the land appears similar to any other area of the seaside dunes near the Baltic Sea close to Ventspils. However, despite the partial degradation or alteration of oil products and their compounds over time, the contamination of the site and its impact have persisted.
After the Second World War, a port began to rapidly develop in Ventspils, which included the construction of various transshipment terminals for oil cargo and chemical products. Additionally, a tank landfill was established where several cases of oil spills occurred. The first instances of pollution in this area are known to have occurred in 1961. In the 1980s, it was discovered that the weld quality in the construction of pipelines was not high, resulting in spills at the weld points.
In the late 1980s, during the period of the former Soviet Latvia, the third Latvian National Awakening movement began which led to the restoration of independence of the Republic of Latvia in 1991 (de facto). It was during this time that the newly established Ventspils Environmental Protection Club became the first organization to draw public attention to the ecological issues at Ventspils port. Despite being the leading export port during the Soviet Union era, the ecological situation in the city was unsatisfactory due to its location across the river Venta.
Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, the current Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Freeport of Ventspils, and the former president of the Ventspils Environmental Protection Club was one of its creators. As an engineer working at the Ventspils Fishing Port in 1988, he remembers that the Ventspils Environmental Protection Club identified this site as one of the most polluted areas in Ventspils.
In 2023 the remediation project is actively being carried out to remove historical pollution in a fourteen-hectare contaminated area. It should be noted that the most polluted area has slightly spread in two hectares of this area.
JSC “VentEko” obtained the rights to sign the agreement for the remediation works through the open competition procedure announced by the Freeport of Ventspils Authority. The company has long time experience in various projects on environmental remediation and environmental management. However, Arta Bažovska, the Board Member of “VentEko”, acknowledges that there are several challenges associated with the ongoing work. Within a relatively short timeframe of just over one year, the floating layer of oil products, which currently forms a layer ranging from five to ninety centimetres thick in the wells, must be removed.
Over the course of three months, during the commencement of technical work, more than 300 recovery wells have been installed in the contaminated area. These wells are responsible for extracting contaminated water and oil products from the groundwater. Four parallel systems have been installed to facilitate this process. These sustainable treatment technologies have been successfully implemented in other sites over several years, demonstrating their effectiveness in eliminating contaminated areas. The company “VentEko” has accumulated professional knowledge and approved technologies necessary for all tasks within the remediation project. Arta Bažovska is confident that the source of contamination in this area will be completely removed within a year. She highlights that during the initial three months of operation of all systems, 25% of the floating layer of oil products has already been pumped out, which is considered a noteworthy achievement.
A filtering barrier, extending 300 meters along the coast of the Baltic Sea and reaching a depth of 8 meters, will be installed in conjunction with recovery wells for pumping out the floating layer of oil products.
Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis is glad to see the elimination of historical pollution in this area. He emphasizes two key points. Firstly, the project greatly benefits nature, the Baltic Sea coast, and the Baltic Sea itself. Secondly, the residents of Ventspils, the Free Port Authority, and other companies operating within the port’s territory are also winners in this endeavour. The eliminated area could be used in further development of the Freeport of Ventspils.
The State Environmental Service has identified numerous contaminated or potentially contaminated sites in Latvia. According to the information of the State Environmental Service, approximately 3600 contaminated and potentially contaminated sites are included on the Register of Contaminated and Potentially Contaminated Sites. The project “Digital transformation of the contaminated site management model” is being implemented by the State Environmental Service in cooperation with partners under the Norway Grants programme. The aim of the project is to transform the management process of contaminated sites in Latvia. Additional information about the project is available there.
Maris Skudra, the manager of the remediation project, highlights the idea of less polluted sites everywhere in Latvia. However, he acknowledges that the available funds for remediation works are often insufficient. Types of remediation technologies used to clean up contaminated sites may vary, and the costs might be high. The funding provided by the Norway Grants programme is a great benefit for Latvia and efficient use of the funds is essential. Upon completion of the remediation works in this area, Ventspils and Latvia will have one cleaner site more, contributing to the overall goal of reducing pollution.
The aim of the project “Remediation of historically oil-contaminated sites in Ventspils – former NAI “ŪDEKA” (Kad. No. 27000290133) territory and oil product main pipeline route (Kad. No. 27000290007)” is to stop the migration of contaminated groundwater with dissolved oil products in the Baltic Sea using a sustainable treatment technology that would eliminate completely the risks of pollution of the marine waters.
The project implementation period is from July 1, 2021 to April 30, 2024. The total budget of the project: 5 117 000 EUR of which contribution from the Norway Grants programme: 4 349 450 EUR.
The webpage of the project here
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