Port of Riga Container Import Guide

Unicore Overseas is a freight forwarder and customs broker in Riga that brings sea containers into Latvia through the Port of Riga and handles every step from the shipping line's arrival notice to the return of the empty. In the 12 months to 5 October 2026 we handled 153 sea import shipments into Latvia: 287 full containers and 15 LCL consignments. Most of them were wine from Chile and South Africa.

This guide covers the Port of Riga's container terminals, the lines and feeder hubs that bring containers to Riga, typical transit times, each import step and how to stay inside the line's free time. For a price on a specific container, send a quote request; our sea freight service page covers FCL and LCL in general.

Unicore sea imports into Latvia: 12 months to 5 October 2026

The Chilean containers load in Valparaíso and San Antonio, the South African ones in Cape Town, and they travel in dry boxes, not reefers. On the sailings we tracked, containers from Chile went through Panama and were transshipped at Bremerhaven, Antwerp or Hamburg, and every container we tracked in this period was discharged at Baltic Container Terminal. The Valparaíso and Cape Town wine FCL case study shows how we book and clear them. From China our sea imports are mostly LCL: 14 of the 15 LCL consignments in the period came from China.

Source: Unicore's shipment records (CRM), sea shipments discharged in Riga, by booking date. Counts only, with no customer names or prices.

Container terminals in the Port of Riga

The Freeport of Riga handled 495,748 TEU of containers in 2025, slightly below the record of 501,851 TEU in 2024. The port is navigable all year and takes vessels with up to 15 m draft. Three terminals handle containers, and Unicore collects from whichever one the line uses.

Which terminal a container is discharged at depends on the line and the feeder; the arrival notice shows it.

How a container reaches Riga: feeder hubs and lines

Most containers from Asia, the Americas and Africa reach Riga on a feeder vessel. The ocean ship discharges them at a transshipment hub: Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Antwerp or Gdańsk. Ships from the Far East have called at Gdańsk's Baltic Hub every week since 2010, and feeders run from there to Riga. Below are the lines the Freeport of Riga lists as regular container services, with the other ports on their loops.

Sources: the Freeport of Riga list of regular lines, Maersk's Latvia page and the Port of Gdańsk Baltic Hub page, checked 5 October 2026. Loops change, so we check the current schedule before every booking.

Typical transit times to the Port of Riga

Times are port to port, from carrier schedules. Customs clearance and delivery in Latvia come on top. If a sailing changes, we send you the new ETA.

Lane details: sea freight from China to Latvia, LCL from China, sea freight from India to Riga, sea freight from Asia to Latvia and reefer containers from Vietnam and Asia. Container sizes and types are in our sea container guide.

Importing a container, step by step

1. 1

   Before the ship sails: documents

   Send us the commercial invoice, packing list and draft bill of lading, with HS codes. Your company needs an EORI number. If the goods qualify for a preferential duty rate, ask the supplier for proof of origin. Agree how the line will release the container: against the original bill of lading, by telex release or on a sea waybill.

2. 2

   Pre-arrival customs

   The carrier files the entry summary declaration (ENS) in the EU's ICS2 system at least 24 hours before a container is loaded at the origin port. While the ship is at sea, Unicore prepares the import declaration and can lodge it before arrival, as Article 171 of the Union Customs Code allows. Food, feed and plant products are pre-notified to the PVD in TRACES.

3. 3

   Arrival notice and release by the line

   A few days before the ETA, the line or its agent in Riga sends an arrival notice with the vessel, the container numbers and its local charges. Unicore checks that the consignee details match, arranges payment of the line's charges and gets the container released: against the original bill of lading, or straight away with a telex release or sea waybill.

4. 4

   Discharge and temporary storage

   The feeder discharges the container at one of the three terminals. It is presented to customs and goes into temporary storage. EU law allows up to 90 days there, but the line's free time is much shorter, and for demurrage it usually starts at discharge.

5. 5

   Customs clearance or T1 transit

   Most of the containers Unicore imports are released for free circulation in Riga: customs duty and import VAT are paid and the goods can move on. If the goods will be cleared elsewhere, Unicore opens a T1 transit declaration in NCTS, backed by a guarantee, and the container travels under customs control to another customs office in Latvia or another EU country. The VID can select a container for scanning or a physical check. The PVD inspects food, feed and plant products at the border control post "Rīgas osta", on weekdays 08:00–20:00, or outside those hours with at least 24 hours' notice.

6. 6

   Excise warehouse for wine, spirits and beer

   Alcohol is an excise good. Unicore clears it and delivers it into an excise warehouse (akcīzes preču noliktava), where excise stays suspended until the goods are released for consumption. The importer needs an alcohol licence and an excise status; our wine import guide explains both.

7. 7

   Terminal release and collection

   Once both the line's release and the customs release are in place, the terminal lets the container out. Unicore books the truck and collects it. If you use the line's own trucking instead, the line sets the timing: Maersk's Latvia page, for example, plans delivery for the next day when documents and payment are in by 12:00.

8. 8

   Delivery and unloading

   The truck brings the container to your warehouse. Tell us how long unloading takes and whether the truck should wait, or drop the container and come back for it. LCL cargo is unpacked at a warehouse first and delivered as pallets or cartons.

9. 9

   Empty return

   The empty container goes back to the depot named in the line's release, which is not always the terminal it came from. Detention stops when the depot checks the empty in.

How to get an EORI number is explained in our EORI guide. The import declaration, its documents and the clearance process are covered on our customs clearance in Riga page, and the alcohol licence and excise status in our wine and spirits import guide.

Free time, demurrage and detention

Free time is the number of days you can use the shipping line's container without extra charges. Demurrage is charged when the full container is still in the terminal after its free days. Detention is charged when the container is outside the terminal after its free days, at your premises or on the road, until the empty is back at the line's depot. Some lines combine the two into one allowance, and the terminal can charge storage on top.

The number of free days and the charge for each day after them are set in each line's Latvian tariff or in your freight contract, and they differ by line, container type and cargo. Check too whether the days are calendar or working days. We check this before booking. These steps help you stay inside the free time:

• Lodge the import declaration before the ship arrives.
• Have the original bill of lading or the telex release sorted before the ETA.
• Pre-notify food and plant products to the PVD and book the inspection early.
• Book the truck and your unloading slot for the day the container is free to leave.
• If you expect a slow unload or a long inspection, ask for extra free time when the freight is booked at origin. It is much harder to get once the ship has sailed.

LCL and reefer containers

LCL cargo travels in a consolidator's container and is unpacked at a warehouse, either in Riga or at an EU gateway port from which the pallets come on by truck. Each consignment is cleared under its own bill of lading. Our page on LCL consolidation from China to Riga shows how this works for cargo from China.

A reefer container stays plugged in at the terminal until it is collected; Riga Central Terminal lists reefer plug-in among its services. Food and plant products need the PVD check at the border control post "Rīgas osta", so we prepare the documents before the ship arrives and the container doesn't wait.