Port of Klaipeda cargo traffic may double in 3 years, expert says
Throughput of the port of Klaipeda will surge in the next three years by as much as two times from the current volume, up to 60-70 million tons a year, a Lithuanian representative told the Baltic Transport Forum in Kaliningrad.
According to the Association of Lithuanian Stevedoring Companies’ President Aloyzas Kuzmarskis the port of Klaipeda may see this year a growth in cargo volume up to 38 million tons (vs 17.3m in 2001 and 31.3m in 2010), of which 40% will account for transit cargoes, including 11% of Russian transits, 60% - Lithuanian goods.
The throughput growth is expected to be driven by liquid bulk volumes, the expert said. In particular, the port terminal transships annually 8.8 million tons of petroleum products and 8.7 million tons of fertilizer. The current storage facilities enable the port to store simultaneously 586,000 tons of liquid bulk cargo. Next year, the capacity will be boosted to 911,000 tons. Today, the port can handle 19 railcars at a time; in 2012, the number will be increased to 30 railcars, 6-7 minute per railcar.
Oil products tank farm capacity now stands at 738,000 cbm, in 2012 it will be 783,000 cbm.
The port's container trade is projected to be about 420,000 TEUs. Container volume may be increased to 650,000 TEUs a year.
The competiveness of 38 terminals operating at Klaipeda port is in their specialization, said Mr. Kuzmarskis adding that next year, total investment in the port’s stevedore business is expected at about $300 million, 60% of them – from private entities, 10.9% will be allocated by the Port Authority.
State-run Port of Klaipeda, the northernmost ice-free port on the East coast of the Baltic Sea, is the largest Lithuanian transport hub, connecting sea and inland traffic lanes. In 2010, Port of Klaipeda cargo throughput increased year-over-year by 10.9%, to 31,27m tons.