Port of Klaipėda cargo volume drops 21% in 2022

The decrease is caused by loss of nearly all transit cargo, primarily Belarussian bulk fertilizer.

Port of Klaipeda Authority said that the Lithuanian port concluded the year 2022 with a cargo volume of 36.1 million tonnes and maintained the fourth position among the Eastern Baltic ports. Although the cargo has decreased by 21%, comparing to 45.6 million tonnes in 2021, the result is better than initially forecasted. The decrease is caused by loss of nearly all transit cargo, primarily Belarussian bulk fertilizer.

The decrease in transit cargo was partially compensated by a record number of container TEUs, and increase in LNG and other petroleum product cargo volumes.

In 2022, the Port of Klaipėda was included in additional ocean maritime routes, which contributed to the growth of container handling volumes, especially transhipment. At the end of the last year, a threshold of one million TEUs was exceeded. When comparing with other ports on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, the container handling at the Port of Klaipėda has increased the most, recording an annual growth rate of 57% (by number of TEU).

The previous year was marked by a recovery in cruise shipping. The Port of Klaipėda welcomed 61 cruise ships with 47,000 cruise tourists.

In total, in 2022, the Port of Klaipėda had 5,605 ship calls (dry bulk carriers, containerships, tankers, ferries, cruise ships, etc.), and 337,000 passengers.