In the first three months of the year, a total of 12.32 million tons of cargo was handled in ports, which is 10.5% more than in the first quarter of last year. In March, 4.64 million tons of cargo were handled, which is 1.06 million tons. tons more than in February.
Cargo turnover in ports in March was not yet significantly affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the resulting international sanctions against Russia and Belarus, but this factor is expected to have a significant impact on port operations in the future. Changes have taken place in the countries of origin of cargo, as well as in the dynamics of different types of cargo.
In March, 1.07 million tons were handled in large ports. tons of coal, an increase of 12 times over last year. It is also 61% more than in February. The leader in this type of cargo in March was the Freeport of Riga, which handled 541.9 thousand tons of coal, followed by the Port of Ventspils with 527.8 thousand tons of transshipped coal. In March, 6.5 tons of coal were handled in the port of Liepaja.
There was also an increase in oil cargo in March compared to February – a total of 776.5 thousand tons of oil products were handled in large ports, which is 53% more than in February. This is 270 thousand tons or 26% less than last year.
Commenting on the turnover of oil products and coal cargo in ports, the Minister of Transport Tālis Linkaits notes that the restriction imposed by the European Union on imports of coal and other solid fossil fuels of Russian origin will affect the transit sector in the coming months. impact in this regard is not yet expected.
T. Linkaits emphasizes that the Ministry of Transport strictly advocates the observance of sanctions and provides support to the entrepreneurs of the sector in receiving explanations, as well as in coordination with other state institutions. Latvia, together with other Baltic states and Poland, has advocated for tougher sanctions in the field of transportation. If the European Union decides to introduce any new restrictions, Latvia will immediately implement this decision.
In the general cargo segment, the increase in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year is 9.9%, of which 6.9% more container cargo was handled, while in the ro-ro cargo group the increase is 17.9%. Timber has been handled by 4.6% more this year, but metals by 30% less.
In the first three months of the year, rail freight transport increased by 13.2% compared to 2021 – a total of 6.8 million tonnes of freight was transported, a third of which is accounted for by export freight. In March, changes were observed in the countries of origin of cargo – cargo from Ukraine decreased by 71%, from Belarus by 33%, while the volume of cargo from Kazakhstan increased by 54% compared to February.
In the first quarter of the year, the Freeport of Riga handled 5.78 million tons of cargo, which is 7.1% more than in the first three months of 2021. In March, a total of 2.26 million tons of cargo were handled, 15% more than in the same month last year. Last month was particularly successful for container traffic at the Freeport of Riga – 40 container liners entered the port, carrying almost half a million tons of containerized cargo – this is the largest monthly volume in the last two years and a repeat of the monthly record. Compared to February, the total timber flow also increased, exceeding half a million tons, and shipments of grain cargo increased slightly.
The terminals operating at the Freeport of Ventspils, in turn, handled 1.6 million tons of cargo in March, which is 21.7% more than in March last year. In the 1st quarter of 2022, a total of 3.96 million tons were handled, which is 10.6% more than in the corresponding period of 2021. This quarter shows the first results of the cargo diversification policy, looking for opportunities to replace the volumes of Russian coal lost two years ago – the bulk cargo segment grew by 157% in the first quarter. According to forecasts, the volume of liquid cargo has decreased – minus 31% compared to last year. Meanwhile, general cargo has positive results – an increase of 14%.
In the first three months of the year, 2.04 million tons of cargo were handled in the port of Liepaja, which is an increase of 30.7% compared to the first quarter of the previous year. The Port of Liepaja handled 61% more grain this year than last year – a total of 930 thousand tons.
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