In the first nine months of 2025, terminals operating at the Freeport of Ventspils handled a total of 6.5 million tonnes of cargo, an increase of nearly 15% compared to the same period in 2024. Cargo volumes continued to grow across all three major segments — oil products, coal, and Ro-Ro (ferry-transported) cargo. This year has also been marked by the fact that the Port of Ventspils has become a unique logistics corridor capable of accommodating truck convoys up to 100 metres long.
Acting CEO of the Ventspils Freeport Authority Igors Udodovs stated: “We began the third quarter of this year with a strong step forward to consolidate our position as a key player in the development of both offshore and onshore renewable energy parks in the Baltic States. During the summer, three intersections in Ventspils were adapted for the transport of oversized cargo, making Ventspils a unique regional logistics corridor for truck convoys up to 100 metres long. This corridor is already being actively used. We can say that Stena Line Ports Ventspils is currently handling the largest cargoes of this kind in Europe. Utilizing Ventspils’ natural and infrastructure advantages is essential for strengthening both Latvia’s energy independence and economic growth. If forecasts come true, the logistics corridor could bring several million euros in direct benefits to the port over a five-year period.”
Almost half of all cargo — 2.9 million tonnes — consisted of liquid bulk,
which also saw the largest year-on-year increase: oil product volumes rose by 39%. The second-largest category was Ro-Ro cargo, reaching 1.2 million tonnes in nine months — a 22% increase. There was also a notable rise in the transshipment of Kazakh coal, which reached 1.1 million tonnes, up by 60.5% compared to a year earlier.
Terminals at the Port of Ventspils also handled various wood products (pellets, chips, timber) and agricultural goods (biodiesel, palm and sunflower oil, grain, malt, rapeseed and bran pellets, peas, and others), as well as liquid chemicals, peat, and other cargoes.
Compared to last year, the handling of wood and agricultural products has decreased, while the transshipment of manganese ore has completely stopped due to imposed sanctions.
The Freeport of Ventspils is the second largest port in Latvia by total cargo handled and one of the country’s major industrial centres. The Freeport’s strategic development concept envisions transforming the port from a fossil fuel transit hub into an “energy port”, integrating fossil, renewable, and hydrogen economies, as well as food as a source of energy.
Read also: Latvia’s 2026 state budget: how the Government allocated funds between security, families, and education