Volga Shipping has completed the navigation of 2014. Press center of the shipping company says all the vessels have taken their winter places at the company’s bases in Volgograd, Nizhni Novgorod, Leningrad region regions and Mariy-El republic.
The navigation period of 2014 lasted for 251 days from March 25 till December 1. During this period, Volga Shipping carried 6.3 mln t of cargo (-3.7%, year-on-year) including 2.3 mln t of cargo transport within the Russian Federation (-37.3%). Export traffic climbed to 4 mln t (+38%, year-on-year). Cargo turnover totaled 7.4 bln t/km (-10.6%).
The dynamics was affected by a number of factors. The decline of domestic traffic should be attributed to the low water level in the Central Basin. Metal transportation dropped to 66,000 (-49%), raw materials for cement plants – to 156,000 (-45.4%). This situation was aggravated by the situation in the domestic market of construction materials. Therefore transportation of gravel materials fell to 708,000 t (-26%), crushed stone - to 535,000 t (-63.6%).
With the flexible and efficient approach applied by the company specialists the decrease of domestic traffic was compensated by export segment expansion. Grain transportation surged almost 3 times to 1.1 mln t, sulphur – by 44% to 1.32 mln t. Exports of metal and fertilizers remained flat against the previous year results.
High efficiency has been traditionally demonstrated by 10 vessels of the RSD44 project. In the navigation period of 2-14, they carried over 1 mln t of cargo (+81%, year-on-year) including grain, fertilizers, sulphur. From 2011, when new vessels were put into operation, they transported 2.28 mln t of different cargoes.
The total of 118 units of cargo and towing fleet and 73 non-self-propelled dry-cargo sections worked during the navigation. Reduction of the number of the operating fleet in comparison with the last year amounted to 7 units (3%).
Volga Shipping OJSC is one of the biggest transport companies in Russia. It was founded in 1843. The company transports cargoes along rivers and lakes of the country. In 2013, Volga Shipping carried 6.56 mln t of cargo.
The Company is a part of VBTH – shipping division of Universal Cargo Logistics Holding, international transportation group consolidating a number of Russian railway, stevedoring and logistic companies (the majority stakeholder of VBTH). The division comprises North Western Shipping Company, V.F.Tanker, a number of shipbuilding and cruise assets.