The Muuga container terminal of Transiidikeskuse AS handled 157 385 TEU’s during 9 months period in 2015 which is 20% less than in 2015. According to the company’s press release, the tonnage of goods transported in containers decreased by 12.9% compared to the previous period.
The general goods terminal of Transiidikeskuse AS handled 356 617 tons of bulk- and piece goods within the 9 months of 2015, which is 26,8 % more than during the same period of previous year. Total turnover of terminals of Transiidikeskuse AS was 1 980 619 tons, being 7.7% less than during the same period of previous year.
According to the Chairman of the Board of Transiidikeskuse AS, Erik Laidvee, the continuous decrease is mainly caused by mutual economical sanctions between EU and Russia.
“The economical war caused by the geopolitical situation has decreased the container turnover in the ports of the Baltic Sea by 20-30%. We are competing with other ports for every container and tonne. Due to decreased commercial turnover we have been forced to reduce the worker load but not salaries. Fontes’ Salary Survey showed that the income of our port workers is strongly above the average of the specific sector. Despite this, we have become the target of vicious personal attacks by the head of Estonian Seamen’s Independent Union – which is funded by competing Nordic Ports - Jüri Lember, for whom no move is too low for traducing the reputation of companies in Estonian transit industry, and therefore reducing their competitive potential,” commented Laidvee.
Despite economic relationships between EU and Russia currently being at their lowest, our company’s efforts for bringing in new cash flows have proven to be successful.
“We have started to pay more attention to containerizing exported Estonian goods. We’re currently carrying out several new projects concerning loading grain and other bulk and piece goods into containers, for which we are continuously making large investments and purchasing new technological loading equipment. This is the only way to achieve such results that would allow us to continuously support the well-being of our employees and keep extending meanwhile,” Laidvee stated.
Transiidikeskuse AS is an Estonian operator of specialized container and general goods terminal at Muuga port.