Latvia, Port, Transport

Riga port.

The port's administrator Leonids Loginovs told BNS that the economic crisis had not yet hit the port as the throughput of oil products, coal and mineral fertilizers continued to grow for the time being.

The Riga free port administrator also noted that this year containers with humanitarian aid the US is shipping to Afghanistan have been reloaded at Riga port, and that the current cooperation allowed for hope that the shipping of US cargos through Riga will continue thus increasing the turnover of container cargos.

In the first quarter of 2009 cargo turnover in Riga port rose by 6.5% against the same period a year ago to 7.455 million tons. In 2008, cargo turnover in Riga port totaled 29.566 million tons, growing 14% from the previous year.

In 2008 Riga emerged as the largest Latvian port by cargo turnover.