LONDON: In the first four months of 2016, Latvian ports reloaded 22.207 million tons of cargo, down 15.4% from the same period a year ago, the Latvian Transport Ministry reported LETA. Bulk cargos prevailed among cargoes handled by the Latvian ports in January-April 2016, accounting for 10.5 million tons and dropping 15% from the first four months 2015. Coal accounted for 5.435 million tons of all bulk cargoes handled in said period, down 28.8% year-on-year, chemical bulk cargoes declined 4% to 1.094 million tons, and woodchip cargoes surged 51.2% to 478,400 tons.
Handling of liquid cargoes fell 18.5% year-on-year to 8.32 million tons in the first four months of 2016, with oil products prevailing among liquid cargoes and dropping 19% to 8.006 million tons. Crude oil handling at the Latvian ports shrank 2.6 times from January-April 2015 to 20,600 tons. General cargoes fell 8.6% year-on-year to 3.387 million tons in January-April this year. This amount included 1.297 million tons of container cargoes, down 4%, 1.065 million tons of timber, down 18.1%, and and 891,800 tons of roll on/roll off cargoes, down 0.1%.
Riga led other Latvian ports by cargo turnover in the first four months of this year, having handled 12.267 million tons, which was 12.8% less than in the same period in 2015. The northwestern Latvian port of Ventspils came second with 7.551 million tons reloaded in January-April 2016, down 23.4% year-on-year, and Liepaja in southwestern Latvia was third with 1.892 million tons, up 3.1 year-on-year.
Skulte led Latvia’s small ports by cargo turnover in January-April this year with 223,800 tons of cargo at a 3.1% rise against the same period in 2015. Mersrags followed with 165,200 tons, down 9% year-on-year, and Salacgriva port, which was in the third place among small ports with 87,800 tons, increased cargo handling by 2.1% against the four months of 2015.
