The Freeport of Ventspils announced that its terminals handled 4.48 million tonnes of cargo in the first six months of 2025, reflecting a 14.5% increase compared to H1 2024.
Liquid bulk, mostly oil products, accounted for 2.4 million tonnes, showing the most significant growth with a 66.5% year‑on‑year increase.
Ro-Ro (roll‑on/roll‑off) cargo totaled 808 000 tonnes, up 20.6%.
Coal, largely imported from Kazakhstan, reached 656 000 tonnes, a rise of 22.7%.
Other categories—including wood products (pellets, chips, timber), agricultural goods (biodiesel, palm/sunflower oils, grain, malt, rapeseed/bran pellets, peas), chemicals, and peat—were also handled.
Transshipment of wood and agricultural goods declined year‑on‑year, and manganese ore transshipment has fully stopped due to sanctions.
Igors Udodovs, Acting CEO of the Freeport of Ventspils, commented: “Historically, the Port of Ventspils was developed as a hub for large‑scale fossil fuel cargo,… Any geopolitical fluctuations in this cargo transit have a direct and significant impact on Ventspils. It is gratifying that some terminals have managed to restructure their operating models… replacing the historical East–West transit with a model based on ship‑to‑ship cargo import, storage, processing, and export. At the same time, we continue to move forward so that the Port of Ventspils can expand… with a strong emphasis on renewable energy… We are currently focused on developing an oversized cargo logistics corridor from Ventspils, which will play a crucial role in the development of wind parks in the Baltic states.”
In 2024, Ventspils was Latvia’s second-largest port by terminal cargo volume and one of the nation’s largest industrial centres. Though the city ranked third in total production, it led the country in production and exports per capita.
Freeport of Ventspils Authority operates the Port of Ventspils terminals. It manages the deep-water, ice‑free port spanning 2 451 ha, with capacity for Aframax and Panamax vessels following major dredging in 1998. Historically a hub for oil products and coal transit, it has diversified into other bulk categories and is investing in infrastructure projects and energy‑transition initiatives, such as wind‑power logistics corridors and involvement in the EU’s H2Derivatives@BSP hydrogen fuel project.