Freeport of Riga handled 23.9 mln t of cargo in 8M’16, down 10.8% Y-o-Y

During 8 months of the current year 23.9 million tons of cargo were handled via Riga port, which is by 10.8% less than in the corresponding period of 2015, says press center of the Freeport of Riga Authority. According to the cargo turnover analysis the volume of bulk cargo at the port has stabilized, liquid cargo handling continues to decrease, the general cargo turnover is increasing. In August 2016, for the first time in recent years, the general cargo volume, transshipped via the Freeport, exceeds the liquid cargo turnover. An increase of general cargo segment can be attributed to the growing indicator of container handling. 248.4 thousand TEU of containerized cargo were handled in the first half of the 2016 at the port, which is by 4.7% more than in the corresponding period of 2015. 339 thousand TEU - the volume of containers handled in August - is the largest monthly result in the last five months. According to the Freeport of Riga Authority the container turnover increase is a very positive trend, due to the fact that the containerized cargo provides a higher added value for logistics industry, reducing the imbalance between inbound and outbound cargo at the port, as well as reducing the port's dependence on Russian transit cargo. Besides, the container transshipment is ecologically cleanest type of cargo-handling and it is very effective because the container is adapted for transportation by all modes of transport (by ship, rail, and road) and is easily moved from one mode of transport to another. That is why more and more goods are transported in containers globally and the Freeport of Riga follows this trend.