Throughput of NMTP Group down 9.7% to 12.4 mln tons in Jan’13
Consolidated total cargo turnover of Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port Group (NMTP GRoup) for January 2013 was 12.4 million tons, down 9.7% year-on-year (y-o-y), the Group’s press center informs.
NCSP Group CEO Rado Antolovic said: “Cargo handling in January was affected by severe weather conditions in the first half of the month, technical incidents outside our control, and negative market trends that developed in late 2012 in specific cargoes. Despite all this, management was able to mitigate the situation thanks to strong performance in cargoes such as oil products, metals, forest products, coal and containers.”
Handling of liquid cargo in the reporting period declined by 1,022 thousand tons (or 8.8%) y-o-y, to 10.6 million tons. Crude oil handling in January 2013 totalled 8.3 million tons, compared to 9.9 million tons in January 2012. One of the factors affecting crude volumes was a supply disruption caused by emergency works on the Kuibyshev-Lisichansk pipeline to Novorossiysk.
At the same time, volumes of oil products increased by 618.3 thousand tons (or 36.7%) compared to January 2012, and totalled 2.3 million tons. Growth was driven by the Novorossiysk Fuel Oil Terminal, which reached full capacity in October 2012.
NCSP Group handled 440 thousand tons of bulk cargo in January 2013. The decline of 492.4 thousand tons y-o-y was due primarily to a dramatic reduction in grain handling in the second half of 2012 after the poor crop, and also by lower volumes of mineral fertilisers.
The Group saw good growth in sugar and cement, which increased 37.0% and 27.1%, respectively. Coal handling also continued to grow, and in January totalled 90.6 thousand tons, the highest since the Group started handling coal in August 2012.
General cargo in the reporting period grew across the board, with volumes increasing by 132.6 thousand tons (or 15.6%) and totalling 982 thousand tons. Handling of ferrous metals was the biggest gainer in the segment, increasing by 78.6 thousand tons (or 10.9%) y-o-y.
Shipments of non-ferrous metals and forest products grew by 18.5 thousand and 22.1 thousand tons, respectively.
NCSP container throughput in January 2013 increased by 6.6 thousand TEU y-o-y, with the fastest growth rate of 35.3% achieved at the NLE terminal in Novorossiysk.
Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port (NMTP Group) is Russia’s largest port operator in terms of cargo turnover. The Group comprises the following stevedoring companies: Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port OJSC, Primorsk Commercial Port, Novorossiysk Grain Terminal OJSC, Novorossiysk Ship Repair Yard OJSC, NCSP Fleet OJSC, Novolesexport OJSC, Baltic Stevedore Company LLC and IPP OJSC. In 2012, the group’s throughput gained 1.2% to 158.9 mln tons. 50.1% of NMTP Group belong to Novoport Holding Ltd, beneficiaries of which are Transneft OJSC and Summa Group.