LDz: handling of potassium salt to continue at Latvian ports
The state-owned joint-stock railroad company Latvijas dzelzcels (LDz) has signed a contract with Belarus potassium fertilizers supplier Belaruskaliy on potassium salt shipments in 2009.
Chairman of the LDz board Ugis Magonis told BC that Latvia would not be left without potassium salt freights this year. He pointed out that now is the last chance for the Ventspils company Kalija parks to solve its differences with potassium salt suppliers from Belarus, adding that the potassium salt shipments from Belarus could also be transported via the Riga and in Liepaja ports.
Magonis underlined that Latvia and Belarus have developed successful cooperation and currently the only problem is the limited transit capacity of Latvia. This problem is to be solved by constructing new railroad lines that would increase the Belarussian freight handling capacity up to 45 million tons per year.
As reported, at the beginning of January, handling of potassium salt at the Ventspils Port came to a halt, as Kalija parks Financial Director Dainis Treimanis confirmed to LETA, underlining though that it does not mean at all that the company's operations would not be resumed in the future.
Both former customers of the terminal – potassium salt suppliers from Russia and from Belarus – had stopped potassium salt shipments via Ventspils.
Treimanis commented that 80% of obstacles, which impede shipping potassium salt via Ventspils resulted from global economic problems and 20% – from discrepancies with the LDz regarding their freight transport prices. He also expressed hope that the disagreements with LDz would be solved and that at some point, along with improvement of the situation globally, transportation of potassium salt via Port of Ventspils could be resumed.
LDz, on the other hand, denied the allegation, stressing that it had always pursued correct pricing policies based on economic considerations.