Cargo throughput at Free Port of Ventspils in January-June 2012 rose 19.5% from last year’s numbers to 17.3 million tons, the Port Authority statistics said.
Crude oil shipments through the port’s terminal increased by 25% to 9,3 million tons, coal volume soared 57% from a year before, to 4,7 million tons, handling of Ro-Ro cargo increased by 7% to 936,000 tons. The number of passengers and cars carried by ferry lines grew by 34% and 41%, accordingly.
The half-year throughput growth was driven by Ventspils Nafta Terminal (a nearly 21% increase), Baltic Coal Terminal (+27%) and Ventbunkers (+43%).
In June 2012, the port’s freight volume rose 19% to 2,6 million tons.
Latvia’s Free port of Ventspils is a deepwater ice-free port. The country’s premier port ranks among leading ports on the Baltic Sea and top 20 European ports. The port can accommodate Aframax size tankers of 130.000 DWT and Panamax vessels of 75.000 DWT. The port encompasses 2623,9 hectares with terminals for handling oil products, crude oil, liquid chemicals, mineral fertilizer, metals, forest products, coal, grain, juice concentrates, containers and Ro-Ro cargoes. In 2011, cargo traffic at the port rose 15% year-on-year to 28.5 mln tons.