Latvia’s three major ports complete digital platform

Latvia’s three largest ports, Riga, Ventspils and Liepāja, have completed a joint digitisation project, delivering a unified digital platform designed to streamline operations and improve customer service across the country’s maritime sector. The project was implemented by the Freeport of Riga Authority, in cooperation with the Freeport of Ventspils Authority, the Liepāja Special Economic Zone Authority and several government agencies. Backed by the European Union’s Recovery Fund, it is described as the most ambitious digitisation project in the history of Latvia’s ports. By developing shared digital solutions rather than building separate parallel systems, the three ports avoided duplicating investment, reducing ongoing maintenance costs and establishing a common technological ecosystem for future joint development. At the core of the project is a new Port and Multimodal Logistics Services Platform, integrating several solutions into a single access point. Port clients, including ship agents, shipping lines, terminals and other service providers, can now access real-time data on vessel calls, berths, port services, permits, passes, contracts and payments in one location. The platform also includes a unified communication environment, live vessel tracking and interactive digital maps of port infrastructure. READ: Port of Riga joins Baltic push for low-emission pilots For port Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), the platform provides a unified overview of vessel movements and operations, cutting down on manually processed information and improving coordination between port services, pilots, tugboat operators and ship agents. The State Border Guard will also gain more comprehensive, real-time visibility of vessel movements and port-issued permits. The platform establishes a shared digital environment for the entire port community, laying the groundwork for further digitisation of cargo planning, logistics processes and data exchange, based on an “enter once, use everywhere” principle. Technically, the system comprises a Port Community System (PCS), a Port Information System (OIS), a geographic information solution, an access control system, a data analytics solution and a data exchange solution integrating with the Latvian Maritime Administration, Latvian Railways, SKLOIS and other state and port information systems. The project ran from December 2024 to August 2026, with funding of €3.24 million ($3.7 million) provided by the EU Recovery Fund. Partners included the ports of Riga, Ventspils and Liepāja, the Latvian Maritime Administration, Latvijas dzelzceļš, the Ministry of Transport, the Coast Guard, the State Border Guard and Koksnes plūsmas datu centrs.