Ocean Network Express , one of the world’s leading container shipping companies, has launched a new weekly route via the Port of Riga – the Iberia Baltic Express. For the first time in the port’s history, the new service provides a direct connection between the Port of Riga and Portuguese ports, while expanding access to European and global markets for Latvian exporters and importers.

The new service connects ports in Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany, operating on the route Leixões – Lisbon – Southampton – Rotterdam – Gdańsk – Riga – Klaipėda – Gdynia – Bremerhaven – Rotterdam – Leixões. Ships on this route call at the Port of Riga once a week.

Ocean Network Express is one of the world’s largest container shipping companies. It was established by merging the container businesses of three Japanese shipping companies—K-Line, MOL, and NYK. Currently, the company operates a fleet of more than 240 vessels, capable of carrying 1.9 million TEUs at any given time. Thus the company is able to offer its clients a fast and reliable international network with more than 165 shipping routes across 120 countries.

Ocean Network Express began operations at the Port of Riga in January 2025 with the Baltic Bridge Express (BBX) service, which connected ports in the Baltic states and Finland with Rotterdam. The route has now been expanded to include many more European ports, strengthening ONE’s position in the region and providing customers with even broader shipping options.

The new service provides a direct connection between Portugal and the Baltic ports, as well as enhances the regularity, reliability, and transit times of cargo deliveries. Container deliveries from Portuguese ports to Riga can be expected in about a week, while deliveries from Rotterdam might be carried out in four days.

The Port of Riga is the only port in Latvia boasting regular container shipping lines and specialized container terminals. Currently, the port is regularly served by nine international container line vessels, providing connections to major European and global logistics hubs. Container shipments are carried out on 11 routes, a record number for the Port of Riga.

In 2025, 495,700 TEUs of container cargo were handled at the Port of Riga, accounting for 98% of all container cargo handled at Latvian ports. Containers are the second-largest cargo segment at the Port of Riga, accounting for approximately 30% of the port’s total cargo portfolio, and its development is one of the port’s strategic priorities.