Riga Free Port throughput rises 14.6 pct to 22.6 m tons
Trade flows passing through the Free Port of Riga in January-August 2011 grew by 14.6 percent compared the eight month period of last year, to 22,585,900 tons, the Port Authority statistics said.
Transshipment of petroleum products surged by 30.6 percent from last year’s figure, to 5,345,800 tons, of coal - by 17.8 percent, to 8,903,200 tons.
Eight-month volume of grain cargo soared 50 percent, to 310,000 tons, of fertilizer - by 11.7 percent, to 1,059,300 tons, while handling of wood chips fell 18 percent to 681,700 tons. Transshipment of metals jumped by 52.9 percent to 362,000 tons.
Container traffic increased by 20.7percent to 194,259 TEUs. Rolling cargo shipments declined by 25.6 percent to 355,400 tons.
Latvia-based Free Port of Riga lies on both banks of the River Daugava (Western Dvina), The port encompasses 6.348 hectares, including 13,818-meter waterfront with berths max depths of 16 meters (ship draft - 12.2 m). Transit cargoes account for 80 percent of overall freight traffic shipped to / from the CIS countries. In 2010, cargo throughput of the Port of Riga rose 2.5 percent to 30,475,000 tons.