Cargo traffic on Russia’s IWW in 2017 up 0.5% Y-o-Y to 118.6 mln t (photo)

In January-December 2017, inland water ways of Russia carried 118.6 mln t of cargo, +0.5%, year-on-year, says press center of Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot).

Cargo turnover or Russia’s IWW was 67.3 bln t-km, up 0.2%, year-on-year.

The bulk of cargo was carried in the Volga Basin (35.7 %) with the share of Moscow Basin totaling 16.39%, Volga-Baltic Basin – (11.6%), Azov-Don Basin – 8.4%, Ob-Irtysh Basin – 5.6%, Kama – 4.2%.

Shipments to the Far North regions declined by 6% to 17.4 mln t including 617,200 t of coal and 591,000 t of oil products.

Cargo handling operations at the ports of Russia’s Inland water ways totaled 138.2 mln t (99.6% of the mount handled in 2016.

According to the statement, transshipment decrease should be attributed to reduction of dry cargo handling (by 0.8%) with the highest decrease registered in the segment of aggregates (by 2.4%). Construction materials still show the highest share of transshipment at river ports (76.8%) with liquid bulk cargo accounting for 5.3% of the total volume.

Passenger transportation in 2017 totaled 12.7 mln passengers (vs 13.5 mln passenger in 2016)).

Passenger turnover climbed by 2.2% to 562.4 mln pass-km (vs 550.5 mln pas-km in 2016).

Among key factors hindering the increase of cargo traffic Rosmorrechflot names traffic limitations near Gorodets and decreased demand for construction cargoes. The most unfavorable financial factor for the industry is the reduced tariffs set by railways for transportation of oil products parallel to inland water ways in summer season, which means competitive disadvantages for river shipping companies. According to Russian Chamber of Shipping, in 2017 shipping companies lost more than 1 mln t of oil product cargo from Saratov Refinery to the ports of the Azov-Black Sea Basin.