Cargo handling at the Port of Klaipeda for the first half of the year declined compared to the same period last year by 8.5% to 16.85 million tons, the Port Authority said.
Shipments of liquid bulk fell 11.7% to 4,998,000 tons, dry and bulk cargoes shrank by 8.7% from a year earlier, to 6,426,000 tons, handling of general cargo was down 5.1%, to 5,426,000 tons.
In January-June, the port saw 3,370 arrivals (-0.2%, - 7 vessels) and 150,757 passengers (-2.1%).
Oil product shipments through Butinge terminal dropped by 19.4% to 3,406,000 tons. Fertilizer handling decreased 18% to 3,979,000 tons, Ro-Ro-cargoes – fell 2.2% to 2,372,000 tons.
Half-year container traffic totaled 183,179 TEUs (-13%).
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. There are 17 stevedore companies, shipyards and other operators at the port, providing a broad range of services. In 2011, Port of Klaipeda cargo throughput rose 36 million tons from 31.27m tons a year before.