The volume of freight carried by Volga Shipping Company during this year season, from April 6 to November 23 has totaled 7.3 million tons, an increase of 8% over the same period last year, the company’s press release said.
According to provisional figures, freight turnover of the carrier reached 8.9 billion mt/km.
The inland and export cargo shipments was 54% and 46%, respectively. In 2011, Volga Shipping transported 44% of domestic and 56% of export goods.
The performance growth was driven by increased inland traffic by 965 million tons, a 32-percent spike from last year’s numbers, thanks to increased volume of metal products from Cherepovets to 1.08 million tons (+11%), of sulfur from Astrakhan - to 1.24 million tons (+20%), of broken stone, sand and gravel - to 2.78 mln mt (+28%), raw materials for the cement industry - up to 480,000 tons (+38%).
In 2012, the company deployed all new generation 10 bulk carriers of Project RSD44. These vessels carried 445,000 tons of cargo, largely fertilizer and sulfur.
Overall, the company's owned fleet of 210 cargo and towing ships were operating during the season, including 76 Volga-Don max vessels, 10 cargo vessels of RSD44 project, 50 pusher tugs and 74 dry cargo sections.
JSC Volga Shipping, founded in 1843, is now one of the largest shipping companies in Russia. The Company is a carrier of cargoes and on inland waterways of the country. During last year’s navigational period Volga Shipping transported 6.7 million tons of cargoes and 368,000 passengers. The Company is part of VBTH, a shipping division of the international transportation group UCL Holding (the majority owner VBTH), consolidating a number of Russian rail, stevedoring and logistics companies.