Freight traffic through the Port of Riga (Latvia) in January-February 2010 decreased by 7.7% compared with the same period in 2009, to 4.63 million tons. The reduction includes a 3% drop in liquid bulk cargoes, 1.164 million tons, The Baltic Course reports.

The bulk cargo volumes shrank by 18.7%, to 2.65 million tons. Of overall loose cargoes the port handled coal transshipment reached 1.866 million tons, 27.4% down from Jan.-Feb. last year. The port transshipped 212.700 tons of chemical cargoes, a 42.8 percent drop from a year earlier, and 12.600 tons of construction materials, 44.2% below the last year’s numbers, while wood chips totaled 173.200 tons, a 69.3% surge over Jan.-Feb., 2009. Container turnover increased by 8.8%, to 32.000 TEUs.

In the reporting period the Port of Riga provided services for as much as 58.436 passengers, 19.5% more than a year earlier.

Freeport of Riga lies on both banks of the Daugava River (Western Dvina) with its total territory of 6 348 ha. The port maintains and operates its loading berths of 13818 m in length allowing ships of maximum draft of 12.2 m. The Port of Riga specializes primarily in handling transits, 80% of overall freight traffic via the Riga Free Port are inbound and outbound commodities to / from the CIS countries. Last year the Port of Riga handled 29.72 million tons, a slight 0.5% gain over 2008’s numbers.