Cargo throughput at Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port (NCSP Group) in January-February 2012 totaled 26.9 million tons, or a 15-percent gain from the same period a year before, the NCSP press release said. The volume growth was achieved despite severe weather conditions that hampered the NCSP operations for more than two weeks.
Handling of liquid bulk in the reporting period rose 11.9% year-over-year to 22,574,200 tons. Crude oil exports increased by 11.3% to 19.1 million tons thanks to a 16.9-percent gain (+1.7mln t) in the commodity exports from Primorsk Trade Port. Shipments of oil products also increased by 13.6% to 3,365,400 tons, 1.2 million of them were diesel fuel exported from Primorsk oil terminal.
General cargo traffic at the Group’s terminals soared by 33.3% to 1,726,600 tons. The growth was driven by a 48.1% spike in ferrous metals volume to 1,449,900 tons, which offset the timber cargo volume decline in Jan-Feb. (-14.8% to 70,800 tons), non-ferrous metals (-3, 2%, to 170,200 tons) and other goods (-49.4% to 18,400 tons).
NCSP Group’s Deputy CEO for Marketing & Sales Rado Antolovic comments: "Now we are seeing recovery in ferrous metals, the demand for which has fallen significantly in 2011."
Container volumes tumbled 3.9% year-over-year to 89,000 TEUs. Grain exports in January-February totaled 1,278,800 tons versus 32,900 tons a year earlier. Average daily performance in February 2012 was up 20% from the same period in 2011.
Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port Group is the largest Russian port operator. The NCSP Group incorporates the following stevedore companies: PJSC Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, PJSC Novorossiysk Grain Terminal, OJSC Novorossiysk Shipyard, PJSC Fleet of NCSP, OJSC NovorosLesExport, OJSC IPP, Baltic Stevedoring Company Ltd. and PJSC Primorsk Trade Port Ltd. (since 2011). In 2011, cargo throughput of NCSP Group (including PTP) totaled 157 million tons, a 2.3-percent growth year-over-year.