Ukrainian seaports see a 2.5% decline in Jan-Jul cargo volumes, to 73.9 million tonnes

Cargo traffic at seaports of Ukraine in January-July 2018 totaled 73.9 million tonnes, which represents a 2.5% drop on the seven-month period in 2017, Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority trade statistics showed.

The seven-month result was attributed to a decline in exports and transit segments. There was a growth in imports and inland shipping cargo volumes.

In the reporting period exports via Ukrainian ports fell in two types of dry bulk cargo: grain volumes shrank by 11% and iron ore - by 22.4%, which account for 36% and 19% of total outbound cargo volume, respectively.

Outbound cargo totaled 53.6 million tonnes (-7.4%), ferrous metal exports reached 9.3 million tonnes (+17.5%), of which: 5.6 million tonnes of rolled metal (+6.7%) and 1.8 million tonnes of cast iron (+58.5%).

Handling of inbound cargo increased by 20.4% to nearly 12.7 million tonnes. Non-ferrous metal ore surged by 22.9% y-o-y to 4.3 million tonnes. Coal throughput rose 6.9% to 3.1 million tonnes.

Container throughput at the country’s commercial ports rose 12% to 454,700 TEUs.

Transit cargo volume was up 1.4% to 6.4 million tonnes.

In the seven-month reporting period Ukraine's seaports received and handled 6,771 vessels, (+108 units on 2017 figures).

Passenger traffic between January and July 2018 reached 282,000 people (253,673 people on inland shipping lines, and 28 409 foreigners). Most of the passengers were  transported in the ports of Odessa and Kherson. Those were primarily short sea trips and inland cruises.

In Jan-Jul, 8,384 transit voyages on the Dniepre River (+951 units or +11.3% from a year earlier). Waterborne cargo transport on the river totaled 4.145 million tonnes, including 623,700 tonnes of metal products (-0.4%), 951,300 tonnes of grain (-10.8%), 32,300 tonnes of oil products (+ 28.8%) and 2,538,000 tonnes of construction materials (+ 29.1%) and other types of cargo.