OREANDA-NEWS.  February 08, 2012. In January 2012, cargo throughput at Latvia’s Port of Liepaja rose 18.6% compared to the same period last year, to 458,100 tons, the Port Authority said.

The traffic growth in Jan. was driven by a 60.4-percent spike in grain shipments (156,400 tons) and a 69-percent surge in construction materials volumes (28,900 tons). Handling of timber cargo increased by 27% from a year before, to 66,400 tons. Exports of scrap metal leaped by nearly two times, to 45,900 tons, of non-ferrous metals - by more than threefold year-on-year, to 9,400 tons, shipments of chemical goods increased by 20.5% to 5,300 tons, of crude oil – by 16.4% to 6,400 tons.

In the reporting period, the port of Liepaja saw a 68.6% slump in petroleum product volumes to 20,400 tons. Handling of ferrous metals decreased by 37.3% to 40,600 tons, of coal - by 10.4% to 8,600 tons.

In January, container traffic soared by as much as four times from 2011’s numbers to 324,000 TEUs. Transshipment of Ro-Ro cargo increased by 1.6 times to 1,834 units. The number of calls was up by 12.2% to 137 vessels. Passenger traffic rose by more than 1.5 times to 10,073 people.

Port of Liepaja was founded in the 90s of last century at the former Soviet Union’s naval base. Liepaja ranks third port of Latvia in terms of freight traffic volumes. Half of the port’s cargo throughput is fueled by crude oil and bulk cargo imported from the CIS countries, largely from Belorussia.