OREANDA-NEWS. March 30, 2010. In January-February 2010 the turnover of the port of Riga decreased, in comparison to January-February 2009, by 7,7 % - 4,623 million tons of cargo were handled at this port.

Turnover of bulk and dry cargo in January-February 2010 at this Latvian port amounted to 2,656 million tons, i.e. by 18,7 % or by 612,5 thousand tons less, in comparison to corresponding period of 2009. Analysis of bulk and dry cargo nomenclature showed that the biggest drop was recorded in handling of construction materials (drop by -44,2 %, 12,6 thousand tons handled), bulk fertilizers (drop by -42,8 %, 212,7 thousand tons), coal (drop by -27,4 %, 1 866,1 thousand tons handled). In the reporting period increase was recorded in handling figures for grain (increase by +102,6 %, 47,4 thousand tons handled), raw sugar (increase by +100,0 %, 34,9 thousand tons handled), peat (increase by +47,2 %, 44,6 thousand tons handled) and ore (increase by +69,7 %, 48,7 thousand tons handled).

In January-February 2010 liquid cargo handling figures decreased by 3,0 % and amounted to 1 164,6 thousand tons; whereof turnover of oil products decreased by 3,0 %, 1 156,0 thousand tons handled, and handling figures for liquefied gas increased by 41,4 % and amounted to 8,2 thousand tons.
The turnover of general cargo handled at the port of Riga in January-February this year also increased, in comparison to corresponding period of 2009, by 47,5 % and amounted to 809,3 thousand tons. In terms of general cargo nomenclature, the biggest growth was recorded in handling of timber (378,7 thousand tons handled, positive change by +108,4 %) and containerized cargo (343,8 thousand tons handled, positive change by +28,9 %). Handling of metals and chemicals stopped (last year 0,2 thousand tons and 2,7 thousand tons of these types of cargo were handled, respectively), decrease was reported in handling of frozen products (73,4 thousand tons handled, negative change by -22,0 %) and Ro-Ro cargoes (73,4 thousand tons handled, negative change -12,5 %).

In January-February this year container turnover at the port of Riga, in terms of TEU, increased by 8,8 %, 32 093 TEU handled (increase by +2 589 TEU).

58,4 thousand passengers arrived to Riga port in the first two months of 2010, while in the corresponding period of 2009 this figure was 48,9 thousand, positive change +19,5 %.