31.08.2011

Latvijas Pastsissues first stamp in new Ports of Latvia series

Commencing a new series Ports of Latvia, Latvijas Pasts has issued the stamp Free Port of Riga. The first day cancellation event will take place on September 2 in the Sakta post office in 32 Brīvības Boulevard, Riga, from 7:30 AM to 8 PM.

The face value of Free Port of Riga is LVL 0.60, corresponding to the cost of mailing a regular letter to any country in the world. The print run consists of 100,000 stamps.

The new stamp depicts the modern Riga Port merged with an image of Riga as an international commercial port back in the 17^th-18^th century. Free Port of Riga is accompanied by a first-day envelope, displaying the port from the side of River Daugava, and a special cancellation with a graphical image of an anchor.

Latvijas Pasts is planning to expand the Ports of Latvia series with at least two additional stamps in the coming years. These will be the first stamps issued by Latvijas Pasts that are dedicated to the work of specific Latvian ports, so the new series could become particularly popular among philatelists and other enthusiasts. The port of capital city Riga has been chosen as the opener of the series due to being the oldest and historically most important port of Latvia.

Today, the Free Port of Riga spans 15 km on both banks of Daugava with 32 stevedoring companies and 35 shipping companies. The overall length of the waterfront is 13,818 m; the maximum draft at the wharf - 12.2 meters. The total handling capacity of the Free Port's terminals reaches 45 million tons per year. Up to 80% of the cargos at the Free Port of Riga are transit shipments to or from the CIS. The port is mainly used for transshipment of containers, timber, coal, fertilizer, chemical and oil products.

Images of the stamp and envelope:http://www.flickr.com/photos/48113023@N03/?saved=1.

The next new stamp issue is planned for September 12.

About VAS Latvijas Pasts

Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides philately, transport and express mail, financial intermediation, payment, press subscription and retail services. Latvijas Pasts is a fully state-owned company with approximately 5000 employees.

Additional information:

Agija Tērauda,
VAS Latvijas Pasts
Public relations specialist
Phone: +371 67608504
E-mail: agija.terauda@pasts.lv
www.pasts.lv