LVR Flote – the capital company of the Freeport of Riga Authority – provides technical services at the port employing its fleet of vessels. The company offers pilot transfer services at the Port of Riga and is one of the partners of the international PILOTech project. The purpose of the project – to reduce CO₂ emissions from pilot boats and promote the development of more environmentally friendly shipping services in the Baltic Sea region.

The project is co-financed by the Interreg Central Baltic Sea Region Program and involves partners from Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden. The Lead partner of the project is Tallinn University of Technology, other project partners are LVR Flote, the Swedish Maritime Administration, the Estonian State Fleet, the Finnish state pilotage service company Finnpilot Pilotage Oy, and Novia University of Applied Sciences of Finland.

Over the course of three years, the project partners will jointly research, test, and evaluate innovative low-emission technologies and operational solutions for pilot vessels, with the goal of reducing their CO₂ emissions while maintaining safe and efficient services. The project envisages an exchange of expertise among pilotage service providers in the Baltic states and the development of joint recommendations for the more sustainable development of shipping services throughout the Central Baltic Sea region.

As part of the LVR Flote project, an integrated digital monitoring system will be implemented to analyze pilot boat operational data, with the aim of streamlining vessel operations and reducing fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. The data collected will serve as the basis for more informed technical and operational decisions, promoting the operational efficiency of vessels and the more sustainable development of the fleet.

One of the key priorities in LVR’s Flote Development Strategy is a gradual transition to more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient shipping services. Participation in the PILOTech project will not only foster the implementation of modern digital solutions and a reduction in emissions from pilot boats but will also facilitate the adoption of best practices from other Baltic countries and the joint development of sustainable port services for the future.

For the Port of Riga, which is Latvia’s largest transportation and logistics hub, more efficient operation of pilot boats will result in lower CO₂ emissions in the port’s waters, as well as cleaner air for the residents of Riga and the neighborhoods surrounding the port. LVR Flote’s participation in the PILOTech project is another step for the Port of Riga toward being a more climate-neutral, environmentally friendly, and smarter port.

The project’s total budget is 2.7 million euros, of which 2.2 million euros is co-financed by the European Union, and it is scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2029.