Riga port receives first test train with Ukrainian grain

MOSCOW. Oct 17 (Interfax) - The Rigas Universalais Terminals (Riga Universal Terminal, RUT) Latvian port received and unloaded the first test train with 1,423 tonnes of Ukrainian rapeseed, which was delivered in 54 containers, Ukrainian media said, citing the Idz.lv media outlet.

The containers with Ukrainian grain were delivered by Sia LDZ Cargo, a subsidiary of the SJSC Latvijas dzelzceļs, the report said. The cargo arrived at the Riga port via the Kaunas intermodal railway terminal, where it was loaded onto the platforms of Sia LDZ Cargo to be delivered to Riga. The Ukrainian rapeseed has already been unloaded and is stored in RUT warehouses.

"I am pleased with the successful cooperation between the Latvian railway, the Port of Riga and Rigas Universalais Terminals which have ensured the delivery of the first Ukrainian grain cargo by rail and further transshipment at the port. Latvia will become a critical ally for Ukraine in the future, promoting its integration into the European transport network," Latvian Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens said.

Since the start of the crisis, the terminals of the Port of Riga have been actively working to transport Ukrainian grain products, Freeport of Riga CEO Ansis Zeltins said. However, until now they were delivered to the port by road, which "cannot be compared to transportation by rail in terms of efficiency and volume," he said.

"Several terminals in the Port of Riga will be fully prepared in terms of technology and infrastructure capacity to accept and efficiently process container trains with Ukrainian grain products. We hope that this first test will prove successful for the entire logistics chain, and in the future we will receive trains with Ukrainian grain in the Port of Riga on a regular basis," Zeltnis said.

The containers were shipped from Ukraine on September 25, were reloaded in Kaunas onto Sia LDZ Cargo platforms on October 8, and on October 11 the platforms reached the Riga port, where unloading began at the Riga Universal Terminal. Railway transportation was organized by Sia LDZ Cargo in cooperation with the client - LTG Cargo Ukraine LLC - as part of the cooperation agreement signed in November 2022.