The number of ship calls at the Big Port of St. Petersburg in January 2010 dropped to 717 ships or 13 percent from that of 2009 (350 inbound and 367 outbound ships), the Port Authority press release said.

As it has been reported, the Big Port of St. Petersburg posted 3.5 million tons for January 2010, a 18 percent rise in freight traffic via its terminals from the same period a year earlier. Container turnover also showed a 25.6 percent gain, at 112.290 TEUs.

The Port of St. Petersburg is located on the islands of the delta of the Neva river, in the Neva Bay, the eastern tip of the Gulf of Finland. The Big Port of St. Petersburg territory includes the Neva River delta and the Neva Bay, Kronstadt and dam structures. The Port of St. Petersburg has a fleet of Icebreakers providing pilotage services for ships during winter navigation. The Port Authority says there are at least 30 stevedores currently operating in the port. According to 2009 numbers the port handled 50.4 million tons of commodities and 21.619 ships called at the port (10.786 inbound and 10.833 outbound).