Volga Shipping Company (UCL Holding) says it closed the navigation period of 2016 on November 27. According to preliminary data the company’s vessels carried 5.2 mln t of cargo (-7%, year-on-year). Cargo turnover was 5.3 bln t-km, similar to that of the previous year navigation. The navigation period lasted for 242 days, from March 30 till November 27.
In the reporting period the company carried 3.5 mln t of export cargo (+238,000, or +7%, year-on-year). Cargo transportation within the Russian Federation fell by 606,000 t, or by 26%, year-on-year, to 1.7 mln t.
Grain accounted for almost a third of cargo carried by the company – 1.57 mln t (-21.5%, year-on-year). Exports of metal surged 2.6 times to 0.9 mln t. Transportation of sulphur totaled 1 mln t (+14.5%, year-on-year).
10 modern vessels of the RSD44 project operating in the Southern Basin carried 1 mln t of grain and sulphur (some 20% of cargo carried by the company).
Crushed stone from Karelia made the bulk of cargoes carried within Russia – 1.1 mln t, similar to that of the previous year. A decline was seen in domestic transportation of industrial salt, gravel and sand-gravel aggregate.
Amid early ice formation on the Volga-Baltic Waterway, cargo ships of different Russian shipping companies were assisted by pusher-tugs of Volga Shipping Company – over 40 operations were performed in November.
The total of 73 units of cargo and towing fleet and 58 non-self-propelled dry-cargo sections of Volga Shipping Company were deployed during the navigation period of 2016.
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 2015, Volga Shipping carried 5.6. 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 also comprises North Western Shipping Company, V.F.Tanker, a number of shipbuilding and cruise assets.