Freight volumes via Latvian ports this January decreased by 10.4% vs volumes in January 2009 to 4.99 million tons, The Baltic Course reports.

The country’s seaports handled 1.99 million tones of bulk cargoes (a 16.8% average decline), including 1.14 million tones of coal (-35.6%), mineral fertilizers – 168.900 tons (-15.2%). Liquid cargo transfused 2.29 million tones (- 13.3%), of which petroleum products amounted to 2.09 million tones (- 13.1%).

In January 2010 containers volumes at Latvian seaports rose 24.7%, up to 16.172 TEUs, ro-ro cargoes were up by 0.7%, to 125.600 tons.
 
The seaports have seen in January this year a 72.9 percent rebound in volumes of timber, up to 370.200 tons, while volumes of handled metals, scraps fell 30.5 percent from January a year earlier, to 29.400 tons (-30.5%).

2009 annual report said the seaports of Latvia had a year-over-year 2.6% decline in cargo turnover, at 61.98 million tons. The country’s small ports showed its throughput cut nearly 7%, to 1.234 million tons.