Freeport of Riga handled 20 million tonnes of cargo in HI'17
Over the first seven months of this year, the Freeport of Riga handled 20 million tonnes of cargo. As compared to 2016, cargo turnover increased by 1.6 per cent for dry bulk and by 11.5 per cent for general cargo, including by 14.3 per cent for container cargo, says the port. In turn, the volumes of handled liquid bulk cargo have also decreased at the port of Riga this year, taking into account market trends.
This has been a particularly successful year for container cargo shipments, and July was the second-best month of the year in terms of container cargo handled. In total, the turnover of container cargo at the port of Riga over the first seven months of this year increased by 14.3 per cent as compared to the previous year, reaching 245,200 TEU units. The increase in ro-ro cargo (up 51.3 per cent) and metal products, the volume of which has doubled this year, also had an impact on the positive indicators in the general cargo segment.
Over the first seven months of 2017, 12.4 million tonnes of dry bulk were handled at the port, and the volume of such cargo increased by 1.6 per cent. Coal is responsible for the largest share of dry bulk , and this year, 7.4 million tonnes of coal have been sent from the port, which is 5.1 per cent more than the year before. In the dry bulk segment, turnover has also increased compared to 2016 for timber dry bulk, metals, crops and peat.
“The infrastructure and capacities of the Freeport of Riga allow the handling of all types of cargo: the nomenclature of cargo handled at Riga port is very diverse, which makes it possible to maintain a stable position in the market even under difficult competition conditions”, stressed Ansis Zeltiņš, CEO of the Freeport of Riga.
This year has also been successful in the passenger transport segment: over the first seven months of the year, the port handled 484,000 passengers, which is 45.4 per cent more than last year. This year, during the active cruise season, Riga has already been visited by 54 cruise ships with 57,800 passengers, which is 33 per cent more than last season.
