OREANDA-NEWS. September 6, 2011. Cargo throughput of Latvian Port of Ventspils in January-August 2011 increased by 9.2% compared to the same period of 2010, to 18,977,000 tons, the Ventspils Port Authority said.

In the reporting period the port’s stevedores handled 7,102,000 tons of bulk cargo (+12%) and 1,702,000 tons of general cargo (+30%).

Eight-month volume of liquid bulk rose 5% to 10,173,000 tons. Handling of petroleum products increased by 7% to 9,795,000 tons. Coal transshipment surged 65% from last year’s figure, to 4,087,000 tons, shipment of fertilizer rose 7% to 1,762,000 tons, handling of rolling cargo rose as much as 48 percent to 1,217,000 tons.

In August, cargo traffic at the port increased by 39.5% from last year’s numbers, to 2,364,000 tons. Monthly volume of liquid bulk amounted to 1,306,000 tons, of bulk cargo – to 844,000 tons, of general cargo – to 214,000 tons.

Latvia’s Free port of Ventspils is a deepwater ice-free port. The country’s premier port ranks among leading ports on the Baltic Sea and top 20 European ports. The port can accommodate Aframax size tankers of 130.000 DWT and Panamax vessels of 75.000 DWT. The port encompasses 2623,9 hectares with terminals for handling oil products, crude oil, liquid chemicals, mineral fertilizer, metals, forest products, coal, grain, juice concentrates, containers and Ro-Ro cargoes. In 2010, throughput of Ventspils port declined year-on-year by 6.8% to 24,815,000 tons.