The flow of cargo from the East to the Port of Klaipeda continues to decline amid sanctions against Russia and Belarus, while work is being done to attract cargo from Azerbaijan and Central Asia, the head of the port administration, Algis Latakas, Report informs via Interfax.
"We are making efforts to attract more cargo to the Port of Klaipeda from this Asian region - from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan," said the port director at a parliamentary economic committee meeting.
According to him, this year the port handled 139,000 tons of cargo from Kazakhstan, which is significantly less than last year (263,000 tons).
"This year's figures will be lower. It's difficult to reach Klaipeda from Kazakhstan by rail because coordination with Russia is required. Most often, the Kazakh side handles this," explained the port head.
Latakas stated that non-sanctioned goods from Russia, such as grain and livestock products, are still arriving at the port. "There's some grain, mixed grain, wheat with barley. Also some animal products and medicines that aren't subject to sanctions," said the port head.
Latakas believes that by the end of 2024, up to 200,000 tons of Russian cargo will pass through the port.
"Belarusian cargo is still present - 611,000 tons were shipped in January-November 2024. In practice, these are only food products, plant products, vegetable oil, meat, and some types of chemical products that aren't subject to sanctions," specified Latakas.
The Port of Klaipeda is the largest in the Baltic states; in 2023, it handled 32.7 million tons of cargo, which is 9% less than in 2022.