Port of Riga traffic rises 9.6 percent
Cargo handling at Latvia’s Free Port of Riga in January-July, 2012 totaled 21,958,800 tons, up 9.6% compared to the same period last year, the Port Authority said.
Coal shipments rose 13% to 8,898 million tons, oil products volume was up 3.3% to 5.089 million tons, timber cargo shipments dropped 14.2% to 1,406 million tons, handling of ore plummeted by 75.8% to 93,900 tons, shipment of wood pellets was down 1% to 594,000 tons. Scrap metal exports rose 9.1% to 360,200 tons. Handling of building materials slumped by 75.6 % to 53,400 tons.
Seven-month container throughput rose 27.1% 213,137 TEUs. Passenger traffic increased by 5% to 484,538 people, including 50,868 tourists carried by cruise ships (+24.1%).
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 moved to / from the CIS countries. In 2011, cargo throughput at the Port of Riga rose 11.8 percent year-over-year to 34.07 million tons.