For Media

In continuation of Swedish ferry company Stena Line expansion in the Baltic Sea region, on 19 January the new ferry Stena Baltica made its maiden voyage on the route Ventspils-Nynäshamn. It will operate on this route together with Stena Scandica, replacing Stena Flavia, which in turn will operate together with Stena Livia on the Liepāja-Travemünde route.

In 2021, the terminals operating in the Freeport of Ventspils handled a total of more than 11.1 million tons of cargo. By flexible adaptation to the market conditions, the terminals have managed to increase the proportion of the local cargo in the total cargo volume of the port. A new record has been achieved in the group of goods transported by ferries. 

This week the loading of another export batch of modular houses was completed in the port of Ventspils, and on Monday the cargo was sent to the customer by the vessel “Baltic Madonna”.

Data on the total number of cargo at the Freeport of Ventspils in 2021 clearly show – the port is changing and the most importantly is to create a local cargo base. In the first 10 months of 2021, the terminals operating in the Freeport of Ventspils handled more than 9 million tons of cargo. The decline in demand for transit of the energy resources had an effect on the total cargo volume. At the same time in those cargo groups that are not directly dependent on the geopolitical conditions indicate a continued steady growth.

On 15th of October 2021 the ambassador at Embassy of Norway in Latvia, Kristian Ødegaard, visited the Freeport of Ventspils authority to meet the project team of one of the largest, ecology-related projects in recent years and to get acquainted with the newest implementation status of the project. The project regarding the remediation from historical oil contamination is being performed by the Freeport of Ventspils authority and the project’s co-financing sources are provided by the Norwegian financial instrument, thus, giving a significant input in the environmental preservation of the Baltic Sea region.

Stena Line and Noord Natie Ventspils Terminals (NNVT) have signed a 20 year contract securing the continuous ferry operation from the Freeport of Ventspils in Latvia. This long-term agreement is an important part of Stena Lines expansion in the Baltic Sea and the route between Ventspils and Nynäshamn in Sweden. During 2021 two large modern RoPax vessels will start operating on the route increasing the freight capacity with 30 %.

In 2020, the amount of transhipped various wood products in the terminals of the port of Ventspils has increased by 7%, reaching the best score of the past 10 years. The main handler of this group of cargoes in the port of Ventspils is "Ventplac" Ltd., a company which managed to maintain stable turnover of cargo comparing to year 2019.  

Noord Natie Ventspils Terminals, which operates at the Freeport of Ventspils, is one of the port terminals that succeeded in maintaining a stable cargo turnover in 2020 compared to previous years. Andris Purmalis, Manager of the Freeport of Ventspils, expressed his gratitude to the Executive Director of Noord Natie Ventspils Terminals, Jānis Pauls, for his successful work and for the outstanding cooperation between the Freeport Authority and the Terminals during 2020.

The newest factory building, constructed by the order of the administration of the Port of Ventspils, has been delivered for operations and rental agreement for its usage has also been signed with one of the leading high technology companies in Baltics - "HansaMatrix", which has chosen the Port of Ventspils as one of the main locations for the development since 2007. 

Ferry company Stena Line has today announced an expansion and strengthening of their operations across the Baltic Sea region. Next year the current vessels on the Nynäshamn-Ventspils route will be replaced with two modern and lengthened RoPax ferries Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey, which will add further 30 per cent freight capacity. The new ferries will also offer an attractive alternative way to travel on the Baltic Sea.