More than 2,700 instances of foreign vessels docked at Latvia's shores throughout the first six months.
Foreign Ship Visits to Latvian Ports in 2024 and 2025
In the first half of 2025, foreign ships made significant visits to several Latvian ports. The port of Salacgrīva saw 89 visits, Ventspils recorded 494, Rīga had 1,293, and Liepāja recorded 616. The port of Mērsrags welcomed 82 visits, while Roja saw seven. The port of Skulte registered 160 visits during the same period (all data in brackets represents the number of visits).
However, data on ship visits to Latvian ports for the entire year of 2024 is not available. What we do know is that the total number of visits in 2024 was higher than in any of the individual ports mentioned above, indicating a busy year for Latvian ports overall.
In 2024, foreign ships called at Latvian ports 5,736 times, a 2.9% decrease compared to 2023. The reasons for this decrease are not specified. It is also unclear if the reduction was consistent across all ports or if it was more pronounced in some ports than others.
In the first half of 2025, ships flying the Dutch flag arrived 350 times, and ships flying the Portuguese flag entered Latvian ports most frequently, 486 times. The number of ship visits by vessels flying the Danish flag was 353 times. Unfortunately, no information was provided about the distribution of visits among ships flying other flags in 2024 or 2025.
For more detailed statistics, one might consult official maritime or port authority statistics from Latvia or Baltic regional maritime agencies. The Freeport of Riga Authority website or Latvian transport ministry reports may have detailed annual statistics not shown here.
- The financial sector could benefit from increased ship visits in 2025, considering the surge in the number of visits to Latvian ports compared to 2024, particularly in the port of Riga with 1,293 visits in the first half of 2025.
- To stimulate economic growth in the industry sector, particularly transportation, it would be beneficial to investigate the distribution of ship visits by flags in 2025, as ships flying the Portuguese flag entered Latvian ports most frequently (486 times) in the first half of 2025.
