Throughput of Latvian railway up 6.3%, ports – up 0.8%, y-o-y, in Jan-Sep 08

The volume of freight transport by Latvian rail reached 40.881 million tons in the first nine months this year, which is 6.3% more than in the respective period last year, Transport Ministry’s Transit Policy Department reports according to Baltic Course.

Freight transportation within Latvia decreased 15% to 1.293 million tons, whereas international freight transportation increased 7.2% to 39.588 million tons.

The volume of export freight increased 39.2% to 999,100 tons, whereas import freight decreased 13.5% to 3.453 million tons.

The total volume of transit freight increased 9% to 35.135 million tons, whereas transit via ports increased 10.5%, reaching 31.511 million tons.

Overland transit via Latvia fell 2.5% to 3.624 million tons.

In the first nine months 2008, 47.57 million tons of cargo was handled at Latvian ports, or 0.8% more than in the respective period of 2007. Cargo turnover at the Riga Port totaled 21.94 million tons, a 13.8% increase on the first nine months last year.

Ventspils Port reported cargo turnover of 21.33 million tons, which is 10.6% less than in the respective period last year, whereas Liepaja Port turned over 3.29 million tons of cargo, an increase of 12.1%.

Of the small ports, Mersrags Port registered the biggest cargo turnover, 381,400 tons, which is 29.6% increase on the first nine months of 2007.

Other small ports registered decreases in cargo turnover: Skulte Port handled 333,300 tons of cargo (17.8% decrease), Salacgriva Port handled 224,300 tons of cargo (28.3%), Roja – 31,300 tons (44.1%), Pavilosta Port – 3,600 tons (8.6%).

Cargo turnover at Engure Port reached 100 tons in the first nine months of the year, a 93.5% decrease from the first nine months last year.

Overall the small ports handled a total of 974,000 tons of cargo in January-September, or 9.3% less than in the first nine months of 2007.

Source: Portnews