Cargo, Good for Business, Latvia, Port

In the first month of this year, Latvian ports mostly transshipped loose cargo – 3.537 mln tons (37.3% more than in the same period last year). This amount included 1.85 mln tons of coal (61.8% increase), 322,000 tons of chemicals (39.4% increase), 198,000 mln tons of woodchips (76.7% increase).

Liquid cargo turnover at Latvian ports decreased 27.8% to 1.03 mln tons. Oil products accounted for most liquid cargo handled by Latvian ports – 952,000 mln tons (30.1% decrease).

General cargo turnover increased 7.9% to 1.088 mln tons - container cargo turnover amounted to 392,000 tons (1.1% decrease), wood – 397,000 tons (43. 7% increase), and roll-on/roll-off cargo – 272,000 tons (4.1% decrease).

Riga Port was the largest Latvian port in terms of cargo turnover in the first month this year, handling a total of 2.842 mln tons of cargo (2.5% increase year on year), followed by Ventspils Port with 2.07 mln tons (40.1% up) and Liepaja Port with 568,000 tons (11.7% increase).

Skulte was the leader among Latvia's small ports with cargo turnover at 91,800 tons (37.8% increase on the first month of 2018), followed by Mersrags Port – 40,900 tons (61% increase), and Salacgriva Port – 39,800 tons (49% increase).

The small ports' total cargo turnover in January was 181,300 tons, an increase of 39.8% on the first month last year.

In 2018, Latvian ports handled 66.17 mln tons of cargo, which is a 6.9% increase on the previous year.