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2024 January 19   13:06

Russian seaports cargo volume rose 5% Y/Y to 883.8 million tonnes in 2023 (expanded version)

The ports of the Caspian and Azov-Black Sea basins were leaders by volume growth

Photo credit: ASOP website
Cargo traffic at Russian seaports increased by 5% year-on-year reaching 883.8 million tonnes in 2023, the Association of Russian Commercial Sea Ports (ASOP) statistics showed.

The total volume of dry bulk cargo handled during the 12-month period was 446.9 million tonnes (+10.4%), including: 205.6 million tonnes of coal (-0.4%), 70.6 million tonnes of grain (an increase of 1.6 times), 50.1 million tonnes of cargo in containers (+10.5%), 36.7 million tonnes of mineral fertilizers (a 1.5 times growth), 21.3 million tonnes of ferrous metals (-12.8% ), 9.8 million tonnes  of ore (-23%), and 8.1 million tonnes of cargo on ferries (+22.8%).

Overall volume in the liquid bulk segment remained unchanged year-on-year, at 436.9 million tonnes. This includes: crude oil: 272.2 million tonnes (+6.3%), petroleum products: 121.5 million tonnes (-12.6%), liquefied gas: 34.1 million tonnes (- 3.2%), food cargo: 5.5 million tonnes (+21.6%).

The volume of exports reached 690.5 million tonnes (+3.4%), imports: 38.6 million tonnes (+6.6%), transit cargo: 65.2 million tonnes (+7.1%), and short sea traffic cargo: 89 .5 million tonnes (+16%).

The Arctic Basin Seaports:
The volume of cargo handled at the regional ports reached 97.9 million tonnes (-0.7%), including dry bulk segment: 31 million tonnes (+5.2%), liquid bulk: 66.9 million tonnes (-3.2 %). The ports of Murmansk throughput was 57.8 million tonnes (+2.8%), of Sabetta: 27.8 million tonnes (-2%), of Varandey: 5.2 million tonnes (-10.6%) and Arkhangelsk: 1.9 million tonnes (-18%).

The Baltic Basin Seaports:
Handling of cargo at the seaports rose 1.3% year-on-year to 248.6 million tonnes. This figure included dry bulk cargo volume reaching 113.1 million tonnes (+16.6%), liquid bulk cargo: 135.5 million tonnes (-8,8%). Cargo volume handled at the following ports was – Ust-Luga: 112.5 million tonnes (-9.3%), Primorsk: 63.1 million tonnes (+10.4%), Greate Port of St. Petersburg: 49.6 million tonnes (+28%), Vysotsk: 12.8 million tonnes (-19.9%).

The Azov-Black Sea Basin Seaports:
Cargo traffic the southern seaports amounted to 291.4 million tonnes (+10.4%), including dry bulk cargo: 140.8 million tonnes (+16.1%), liquid bulk cargo: 150.6 million tonnes ( +5.6%). The Port of Novorossiysk handled 161.4 million tonnes (+9.4%), Taman: 40.5 million tonnes (-5.4%), Tuapse: 24.8 million tonnes (+13.9%), Port Kavkaz: 21 .4 million tonnes (+28.1%), Rostov-on-Don: 16.3 million tonnes (+8.9%).

The Caspian Basin Seaports:
The 12-month volume of cargo handled at the region’s ports reached 7.8 million tonnes (+29.7%), of which the volume of dry bulk cargo rose to 5 million tonnes (an increase of 1.6 times), liquid bulk cargo: 2.8 million tonnes (-2.3%). Throughput at the Port of Astrakhan surged 48.5% year-on-year to 3.7 million tonnes, of the Port of Makhachkala: 3.4 million tonnes (+13.9%),

The Far Eastern Basin Seaports:
The volume of handled cargo was 238.1 million tonnes (+4.5%), including dry bulk: 157 million tonnes (+1.9%), liquid bulk: 81.1 million tonnes (+9.8 %). Throughput figures of the Far Eastern ports were the following – Vostochny: 86.6 million tonnes (+5.2%), Vanino: 35 million tonnes (-7.1%), Vladivostok: 33.5 million tonnes (+4%), Nakhodka: 27.6 million tonnes (+6.9%), Prigorodnoye: 13.6 million tonnes (-11.6%).

Passenger Traffic:
Between January through December 2023, the ports’ terminals handled 82 400 passenger and cruise ships (+31.7%) and 5.18 million passengers (+33.4%). This includes the number of passengers of departing ships: 2.59 million people (-26.4%), and of arriving ships: also 2.59 million people (a 7-fold increase). The main number of passengers in 2023 were served at dedicated passenger terminals in the following seaports – of Sevastopol: 4.6 million people (+46.3%), Sochi: 283 600 people (+35.1%), Yalta: 196 800 people (a 2.3 times decrease).