“This year, the indicators of cargo handling in the port of Riga remain positive and stable. Still, there is a decrease in the segment of oil products, ores, metals, and chemical cargo, due to direct impact of the international sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Our challenge is to compensate for this decline with growth in other cargo segments, and we have managed to do so - we are increasing the volume of containerized cargo, the agricultural and forestry cargo segments are stable, coal cargo is still important, and we have completed the first half of the current year with growth compared to the previous one. At the same time, we are relentlessly working on attracting new cargo groups and creating new, complex cargo routes to strengthen the position of the Port of Riga in international logistics chains,” said Viesturs Zeps, Chairman of the Freeport of Riga Board.
In total, 1.89 million tons of various cargo were handled at the port of Riga in June 2022, which by 17.5% or 0.28 million tons exceeds the indicators of June 2021. Coal still has a significant impact on the volumes of cargo handled - 0.46 million tons of coal and coke were handled in June, and a total of 14 ships, including five large Panamax vessels, called the port. 0.37 million tons of containerized cargo were handled last month, which is by 15% more than in June last year. The amount of agricultural cargo in June 2022 was 0.21 million tons, which is equivalent to the indicators of May 2022, and this result can be attributed to a new type of cargo - cane sugar from Brazil, which was further dispatched to Uzbekistan via the port of Riga. Furthermore, the best stone chips’ handling indicator of the last year was achieved. 0.37 million tons of forestry cargo were handled in June; however, a decline was registered in this segment last month, which can be attributed to a smaller pellet export flow.
In general, in the first half of 2022, forestry cargo was the most popular cargo type in the port of Riga - a total of 2.82 million tons were handled, making up 25% of the total volume of cargo handled in the port, followed by containerized cargo and coal - each of these cargo groups making up 21% of the total turnover. Agricultural products still provide a significant share in the total cargo portfolio, reaching 14% or 1.16 million tons. Other cargo groups, including oil products, ores and metals, chemical cargo and others, which used to provide for 23% of the total volume of cargo, this year demonstrate lower handling volumes - 0.8 million tons of liquid bulk cargo (-30%), 0.6 million tons of ore/metals (-30%) and half (-51%) less chemical bulk cargo (0.31 million tons). The decrease is directly related to the impact of international sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
In the six months of 2022, 33 cruise ships visited the port, 22 of them in June. 7 cruise ships called the port for the first time. 19.7 thousand cruise tourists visited Riga in the first months of the cruise season, arriving from 91 countries of the world. Traditionally, the largest number of tourists came from Germany (10.1 thousand), USA (4.2 thousand) and Great Britain (1.1 thousand).
A total of 1,410 ships were served in the port of Riga in the first half of 2022.