The Port of Riga starts the year with stable cargo turnover indicators
In the first month of the current year the Port of Riga handled 3.20 million tons of various cargo and comparing this result to January of the previous year, when the total cargo turnover of the port was 3.27 million tons, it has remained virtually at the same level. Comparing port monthly turnover figures, it should be noted that January 2016 was one of the most successful months of the last year and, assessing the year in general, cargo turnover in January 2017 exceeded the last year's average monthly rate by 3.7%. These figures demonstrate a stable operation of the port and provide optimism expecting 2017 results. The positive factor is growing number of accommodated vessels at the beginning of the year. Compared to January of the last year the number of vessels’ calls has increased in January of the current year – it refers to such vessels as passenger ships, container ships, tankers and dry cargo carriers.
According to the Port of Riga the general cargo segment boasts a particularly successful month of January. Total amount of various general cargo, handled at the port during the first month of the current year, has reached 555.2 thousand tons, which is by 34.7% more than in the last year’ s January. This increase is mainly based on constantly growing container cargo turnover. In January 2017, 36,2 thousand TEU of containers were transshipped, which is by 38.6% more than in January 2016 and by 3.5% more than in December 2016. Similarly, the number of container carriers, served at the port, increased by 9.5% compared with January of the last year. Container turnover at the port of Riga in January is the largest among the Baltic ports, outperforming even the Klaipeda port, which handled 32.9 thousand TEU.
In January 2017, 1.91 million tons of dry bulk cargo were handled at the Port of Riga. Positive trends in the coal cargo amounts have been maintained - each month the port handles more than one million tons of coal. In January the port handled 1.2 million tons of coal, which is by 2.6% more than during the last year's respective period.
Liquid cargo segment cargo turnover at the port remains low, but there is a positive trend in oil product transshipment indicators. 728.4 thousand tons of oil products were handled at the port in January, which is by 16.1% less than in January of the last year, still this is the best monthly performance since May 2016.
As expected, with the second Tallink ferry return, the number of passengers has considerably increased at the port of Riga. Since the month of January 2017 43.6 thousand passengers have been served, and it is an increase by 30.4% compared to the previous year’s January. Besides, the number of passenger ships’ calls has increased by 58.8%.
