Port of Riga obtains new opportunities of timber export to Iceland
Riga port company SIA “Jaunzeltiņi” has started transportation of timber to Iceland. In June of the current year 1 700 cubic meters of sawn timber produced in Latvia and Belarus were loaded on the vessel SILVER STAR to be delivered to the port of Neskaupstadur, Iceland. Iceland is traditionally one of the target markets of Latvian sawn timber producers, where timber is mainly used for packaging of fishery products. With the start of regular transportation from the Freeport of Riga, Latvian sawn timber producers and traders can benefit from a new, efficient logistics route, facilitating access to an important export market.
Timber transshipment is provided by SIA “Jaunzeltiņi” in cooperation with the Icelandic partner “Tandrabretti ehf”.
Arturs Veispals (Artūrs Veispāls), Chairman of the Board of the SIA “Jaunzeltiņi”: “Icelandic reefer vessels provide regular deliveries of fish to the ports on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea during the active fishing season. In order for the ships to return to Iceland with cargo, we have created an opportunity to use this route in the opposite direction as well, namely, by loading Latvian timber on board and delivering it by sea to Iceland. Thus, we can create a regular and cost-effective opportunity for Latvian sawn timber exporters to deliver their export products to buyers in Iceland, while the Icelandic side has the opportunity to regularly receive the raw materials needed for packaging production at affordable prices during the fishing season. ”
Previously, the company “Tandrabretti ehf” benefited from such cooperation with the port of Klaipeda, but the quality of operation and customer service at the port of Riga has convinced the Icelandic entrepreneur to launch regular transportation directly from the port of Riga. First shipments to Iceland are planned during the active fishing season from July to October. In the future, it is planned to provide regular transshipment and offer this logistics route to Iceland to Latvian food producers as well.
Mr. “The Freeport of Riga continues to develop the export of locally sourced cargo, which is one of the cornerstones of the port's stability. The company’s ability to find new logistics solutions, providing local timber manufacturers with an access to one morel market, shall be highly assessed,”emphasized Mr. Viesturs Zeps, Chairman of the Freeport of Riga Board.
