Big Port St. Petersburg’s cargo volume grows by 14.7% to 7,94m tons (Update)

Freight volume handled by Big Port of St. Petersburg in January-February 2011 rose by 14.7% compared to the same period in 2010, to 7,940,900 tons, the Port Authority reported. Two-month container traffic totaled 328,354 TEUs versus 235,201 TEUs last year.

During the reporting period Big Port of St. Petersburg handled 117,300 tons of coal, a 65-percent slump from last year’s figures, 739,600 tons of mineral fertilizer (+7%), 610,600 tons of ferrous metals (-5%), 190,600 tons of non-ferrous metals (-21%), 144,400 tons of metal scrap (+18%), 566,600 tons of refrigerated cargoes (+47%) and 1,717,600 tons of petroleum products (+10%).

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 St. Petersburg territory includes the Neva River delta and the Neva Bay, Kronstadt and dam structures. Port St. Petersburg operates a fleet of icebreakers escorting merchant ships during winter navigation. Currently, 30 stevedore companies are operating at the port. In 2010, the port handled 9,227 vessels and 58,480,600 tons of cargo, a 15.2 percent increase year-over-year.