The Port of Riga recorded an increased container cargo volume with 460,700 TEUs in 2022, with containers being the third largest type of cargo in the Latvian port.
Last year, Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) achieved a record-high cargo turnover rate, exceeding the previous year's result by 16% and transshipped 326,000 TEUs, which is the highest annual turnover in its history.
The growth in container cargo turnover can be attributed to the impact of the geopolitical situation on global logistics chains, according to the port.
Moreover, six regular container shipping lines operated at the port of Riga in the previous year with all of them renewing their contracts for 2023.
Market analysts at the Freeport of Riga Authority pointed out that the statistical data of all ports in the Baltic region show the impact of the war on container cargo transportation. For instance, the port of St. Petersburg in Russia, which was previously the largest container port in the region, lost 64% of its box volume in 2022.
However, the ports of Riga, Klaipėda in Lithuania, and Tallinn in Estonia saw an increase in container cargo turnover, as well as the Finnish ports of Helsinki and Hamina/Kotka.
BCT board member, Dmitrijs Kiselevs commented, "Since the start of the war, the Baltic Sea container lines have boycotted Russian ports and used the container terminals of the Baltic countries to place and store containers intended for the Russian market, leading to a rapid increase in turnover at the BCT terminal."
