Liene Ozola, head of the public relations department of the Free port of Rīga, said that ships under the Russian flag have never formed a significant part of the total number of cargo ships in Riga port. Consequently, the decision to prevent Russian flag vessels from entering EU ports will not affect the operation of the Free port of Rīga.
According to data compiled by the Free port of Rīga, 77 ships entered the Riga port in 2021 under the Russian flag, representing a total of 3% of the 2,870 vessels served in Riga port during the year. Of the 77 Russian ships, 68 had dry cargo ships and nine were tankers. Ozola said that in previous years the proportion of Russian vessels at Riga port was similar.
Liepāja Special Economic Zone (SEZ) spokeswoman Līga Ratniece–Kadeģe also said that ships with the Russian flag have not been frequent at the port of Liepājas until now so it is not expected that the decision will have a significant impact on the activities of the Liepājas port and on the turnover of cargo. She said that in the first quarter of 2022, cargo turnover at Liepaja port amounted to 2,045 million tons. More than 55% of cargo at the Liepaja port is local.
