The Latvian port Rīgas Universālais Termināls (RUT) received and unloaded the first test train with 1,423 tonnes of Ukrainian rapeseed, which were loaded into 54 containers, the Latvian publication ldz.lv reported.

"This week, the company Rīgas Universālais Termināls (Riga Universal Terminal - RUT) received and unloaded the first test train with Ukrainian cereal products, which was delivered to the Freeport of Riga by SIA LDZ CARGO, a subsidiary of the SJSC Latvijas dzelzceļš. Some 1,423 tonnes of rapeseed from Ukraine were delivered in 54 containers. Containers from Ukraine arrived at the port of Riga via the Kaunas intermodal railway terminal, where they were loaded onto the platforms of SIA LDZ CARGO to be delivered to Riga. Currently, Ukrainian rapeseed has been unloaded and stored in RUT warehouses," the report says.

"I am pleased with the successful cooperation between Latvian railway, the Port of Riga and Rīgas Universālais Termināls, providing for the delivery of the first Ukrainian grain cargo by rail and further transshipment at the port. Latvia will continue to be a critical ally of Ukraine in the future, promoting its integration into the European transport network,” said Minister of Transport Kaspars Briškens.

“Since the beginning of the war, the terminals of the port of Riga have been actively working to transport Ukrainian grain products, but until now they came to the port by road, which in terms of efficiency and volume cannot be compared to rail transportation. Several terminals in the port of Riga in terms of technology and infrastructure capacities would be fully ready 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,” emphasized Ansis Zeltiņš, the Freeport of Riga CEO.

"Receiving grain in containers is a new experience for the terminals of the Port of Riga," according to the document.

Edgars Rudzītis, Head of the bulk warehouse department of the company RUT, said that the terminal, being equipped and ready for the acceptance of grain container trains from Ukraine, is boasting the necessary technologies for container processing, as well as warehouses and suitable infrastructure for storage and loading of bulk cargo. Despite the new type of transshipment and relevant challenges, all the work was performed efficiently – the terminal's capabilities made it possible to fulfill the main requirement of the carrier – to quickly release the railway platforms so that they can be used for new transportation tasks.