Cargo throughput at Port of Riga rose 15.7% in Jan-Nov to 37.26 million tonnes

Handling of exports/imports at the Free Port of Riga, Latvia in January-November 2014 rose 15.7% year-on-year to 37,262,700 tonnes, the Port Authority told IAA PortNews.

The eleven-month volume growth was driven by a 44.3% surge in oil product volumes which totaled 9,203,000 tonnes, a 14.4% gain in scrap metal shipments to 13,479,500 tonnes, a 6.1% increase in coal exports to 13,479,500 tonnes and a 2.1% growth in timber volume to 1,939,200 tonnes. In the reporting period handling of wood pellets declined by 42% to 485,100 tonnes, of ore – dropped by 13.2% to 345,600 tonnes.
Container traffic edged up 1.4% to 356,611 TEUs. Passenger traffic fell 10.2% to 698,430 people, including 59,520 cruise ships passengers (-9.1%).

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 2013, cargo throughput at the Port of Riga edged down 1.6% year-on-year to 35,466,700 tonnes.