Cargo, Containers, Good for Business, Latvia, Port, Transport

Bulk cargos were reloaded in the amount of 5.749 mln tons in the first quarter of this year, which is a rise by 11.3% y-o-y. Handling of liquid cargos fell 24.7% to 1.883 mln tons, and general cargos increased 15.4% to 1.675 mln tons.

Coal accounted for 37.6% of total cargo turnover as there were 3.497 mln tons of coal reloaded in the first quarter of this year, which is a growth by 18.4% compared to the first three months in 2016.

Oil products made up 19.9%, container cargos 11.7%, timber 7.6% and chemical cargos 7.4% of total cargo turnover in the first quarter of 2017.

The port's representatives said that Russian coal exports through the Baltic Sea ports had increased significantly compared to the first quarter of 2016, resulting in growth of coal cargos at the Russian ports as well as in Riga and Ventspils ports in Latvia.

Handling of bulk metal cargos increased 32.8%, and handling of timber grew 3.3% compared to the first three months in 2016.

The amount of container cargos keeps growing. In the first quarter of 2017 the Riga port reloaded 110,400 TEUs or the largest first-quarter amount in the history of the port, and 38,000 TEUs reloaded in March this year is the port's monthly record-high in handling of container cargos.

Among general cargos, ro-ro cargos grew 33.9 % y-o-y. The port said the increase was largely due to more intensive operations of Tallink ferries this year.

Cargo handling in March this year increased 7.9% compared to March 2016, as handling of coal, container cargos and timber increased. In March 2017 the Riga port reloaded 3.207 mln tons of cargos, including 2.128 mln tons of bulk cargos, 595,600 tons of general cargos, and 483,500 tons of liquid cargos.

In the first quarter of 2016 the Riga port handled 9.119 mln tons, and annual cargo turnover last year was 37.07 mln tons, down 7.5 % from 2015.