RIGA - Facing a possible walkout by major shippers, the board of Riga Port has annulled its previous decision to substantially raise passenger fees, port Chairman and Riga Mayor Gundars Bojars said. The fee will remain at $1 per arriving passenger and will not be raised to four euros as previously planned, the mayor said.
Bojars said that since deciding to scrap the hike, Riga Port is one of the cheapest in the region.
On March 29 the board of Riga Port approved a multiple raise of both wharfing and passenger fees at the passenger terminals. Businesses working with the Riga Port were outraged by the decision, and the Scandinavian shipping company Viking Line even sent a letter to the port's board, claiming it would cancel seven cruises that its largest ship, the Cinderella, was expected to make to Riga this year if the port failed to annul the fee hike.
Deputy Premier and acting Transport Minister Ainars Slesers also opposed the port's increased fees. At Slesers' urging, the port initially agreed to postpone the new fees' for 45 days, but now it has completely given up the plan.
Previously, the Riga Port board said that raising fees was the only way to finance modernization of the out-of-date passenger terminal. After terminal renovation, the fees would have been lowered again.
Because those running the terminals, not the port, determine prices, fees for various services at other passenger terminals could differ.
In view of the decision to leave the fees unchanged, the Riga Port board decided to deny discounts on port fees to a number of ferry companies.
