Stevedoring companies of a UCL Holding's division in the reporting January-June period of 2017 handled 18.9 million tonnes of cargo, which is a 11.5% increase on the same half-year period of 2016, the Group said in a press release.
The 11.5-percent growth was driven primarily by increased volumes of containerized cargo, ferrous metals and coal.
Handling of dry bulk cargo across the division's terminals rose 14% to 15 million tonnes, while handling of bulk oil products grew by 3% to 3.8 million tonnes.
In the reporting period share of exports volume in the total throughput increased to 87% or 16.5 million tonnes. Imports amounted to 12% (or 2.3 million tonnes). Coastal trade cargo accounted for 1%.
"In the first half of the year a stevedoring division of UCL Holding increased year-on-year the total throughput. This is primarily the result of increased export cargo flows of energy coal and ferrous metals, for which the market environment has improved. In addition, due to the high level of service and attractive commercial options for clients the container terminal maintained an upward trend in handling containers,” Igor Fyodorov, CEO of Managing Company UCL Holding commented the performance results.
In the reporting period, the outstanding result was recorded in the segment of of suction / grab bulk cargo – a 15% growth to 6.2 million tonnes. Positive trend was driven by increased thermal coal export through the terminals at the ports of Ust-Luga and Tuapse - by 36% to 4.8 million tonnes. However, handling of grain cargo, chemical fertilizers and ores plummeted by 17% (to 1 million tonnes), by 69% (to 8,000 tonnes) and by 38% (to 372,000 tonnes) respectively, taking into account the environment in market of grain and ore in the first half of the year 2017, and because some cargo owners focused on dedicated terminals handling mineral fertilizers.
Container traffic grew by 15% to 350,400 TEU (by 17% to 4.2 million tonnes, taking into account box throughput at St. Petersburg Container Terminal, Sea Port Saint-Petersburg and Taganrog Sea Commercial Port), as a result of successful performance of Container Terminal Saint Petersburg, the leading container terminal operator in Russia. Sea Port St. Petersburg also reported container traffic growth. The facility was launched more than a year ago and which in December 2016 entered cooperation agreement with the European liner operator Sea Connect.
Handling of general cargo increased by 10% to 4.8 million tonnes thanks to the growth of ferrous metals at Sea Port St. Petersburg (to 2 million tonnes) and Tuapse Commercial Seaport (to 1.2 million tonnes).
The UCL Holding's stevedoring division increased handling of oil products by 3% to 3.8 million tonnes due to the stable operation of the oil port of Tuapse, that ensured reception and shipments of all petroleum products exported by Tuapse Refinery.
Universal Cargo Logistics Holding (UCL Holding) is an international transportation holding of companies specializing in rail and waterway transport, cargo handling at Russian ports, providing logistics service, shipbuilding and cruise operations. The UCL Holding coprises three divisions: UCL Rail, UCL Port and VBTH. UCL Port consolidates Sea Port of Saint-Petersburg, Container Terminal Saint Petersburg, Multipurpose Reloading Complex based in Northwest Russia and Tuapse and Taganrog ports in Russia's Southern region.
UCL Rail includes Freigh One, the largest railway operator in Russia. Shipping division VBTH includes North-West Shipping and Volga Shipping, VF Tanker", a number of shipbuilding and cruise assets.