Last week, on 16-22 June, the Freeport of Riga Authority together with the port companies Rīgas Universālais Terminālis (Riga Universal Terminal) and Nacionālais konteineru termināls (National Container Terminal) participated in a visit to China by the Minister for Transport Uldis Augulis and companies of the Latvian transport sector. Within the framework of this visit, an agreement was signed on the establishment of sister port relationship between the Freeport of Riga and the Shenzhen Port.
This agreement is aimed at promoting cooperation between the two ports as well as actively exchanging information and experience in port planning, management and development. The two ports see wide cooperation opportunities in the field of environmental protection, information technology, employee training and port safety.
The Port of Shenzhen is one of the largest and fastest-growing container ports in the world. In 2017, the port handled 25.2 million of TEU containers, which placed it in 3rd among the busiest container ports in the world. The port handles on average 560 container ships a month.
‘Despite the differences in port sizes and cargo volumes, both the Port of Riga and the Port of Shenzhen are influential market players in their regions. Various similarities can be identified in our possibilities and challenges in the rapidly changing environment of international trade and navigation of the 21st century’, commented Ansis Zeltiņš, CEO of the Freeport of Riga Authority. ‘We will definitely be able to learn from Shenzhen’s experience in port management, planning and development on the path to our goal — developing the Port of Riga as the largest container cargo transit centre in the Baltic Region and the so-called container ‘hub’ port in the Baltic Sea’.
Within the framework of the visit, the representatives of the Freeport of Riga Authority and port companies also participated in the World Transport Convention and the international exhibition organised during this conference, as well as in activities related to the establishment of the Belt and Road International Transport Alliance (BRITA). BRITA is a multilateral cooperation alliance initiated by China, which unites the main players of the transport and logistics sector of the countries involved in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Freeport of Riga Authority has become a member of this influential alliance.
To attract cargo from China more effectively, the Freeport of Riga Authority signed agreements and became involved in the operation of two Chinese logistics information exchange platforms: LOGINK (National Public Information Platform for Transportation & Logistics) and GLA (Global Logistics Alliance). Participation in these organisations will ensure that information concerning the Port of Riga reaches Chinese companies in the transport and logistics sector.
