Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port Group announces that its consolidated cargo turnover in January and February 2015 increased 8.0% year-on-year reaching 23.2 million tonnes.
Liquid cargo increased 8.5% year-on-year and totaled 18 722.1 thousand tonnes. Bulk cargo grew 4.7% year-on-year and reached 1 605.2 thousand tonnes. General cargo was up 16.2% year-on-year and comprised 2 246.8 thousand tonnes. Container traffic in the reporting period amounted to 71.8 thousand TEU or 695.1 thousand tonnes.
Commenting on the operating results for January-February 2015 CEO of PJSC NCSP Sultan Batov said: «Over ten days of storms and subsequent restrictions on rail dispatches affected most of cargoes at Novorossiysk in February. Fluctuations on currency and commodity markets affect Russian foreign trade in different ways. On the one hand, currently we see a better market for Russian ferrous metals, and a weakening market for Russian iron ore due to global oversupply, on the other hand. Import of industrial goods is decreasing which affects container traffic».
In January-February 2015 NCSP handled 18 722.1 thousand tonnes of liquid cargo, which is 8.5% or 1 469.8 thousand tonnes more, that same period last year. Crude oil volumes were up by 502.6 thousand tonnes or 4.0% year-on-year and reached 13 024.1 thousand tonnes. Oil products volumes increased by 996.7 thousand tonnes or 21.8% year-on-year. UAN and seed oils volumes in January-February amounted to 99 thousand tonnes and 37.9 thousand tonnes respectively.
Bulk cargo volumes in the reporting period reached 1 605.2 thousand tonnes, including 870.6 thousand tonnes of grain, 188.9 thousand tonnes of fertilizers, 107.9 thousand tonnes of sugar, 205 thousand tonnes of iron ore, and 232.8 thousand tonnes of coal. Fertilizers and coal showed record growth rates of 75.7% and 113.8% year-on-year respectively.
General cargo volumes in January-February 2015 totaled 2 246.8 thousand tonnes, up by 314 thousand tonnes or 16.2% versus same time last year. Ferrous metals and pig iron handling increased by 235.2 thousand tonnes or 14.2% versus January-February 2014, and by 12.4% in February 2015 versus January 2015. Non-ferrous metals grew by 22.0% year on year, and timber by 22.5% year-on-year.
NCSP Group’s cargo traffic in January-February 2015 amounted to 695.1 thousand tonnes and 71.8 thousand TEU.
NCSP Group is the largest port operator in Russia and the third-largest in Europe, in terms of cargo turnover. NCSP Group cargo turnover in 2014 totalled 131 million tonnes. Consolidated revenue to IFRS in 2013 totalled USD 928 million and EBITDA was USD 510 million. NCSP Group consolidates the following companies: PJSC Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, LLC Primorsk Trade Port, PJSC Novorossiysk Grain Terminal, OJSC Novorossiysk Ship Repair Yard, OJSC NCSP Fleet, OJSC NLE, OJSC IPP, CJSC Baltic Stevedore Company, and CJSC SFP.