Throughput of Russian ports up 9.5% in Q1 07, y-o-y
In January-March 2007, throughput of Russian ports exceeded 103 million tons (+9.5%), press center of the Association of Russian Commercial Seaports (ASOP) reports. Over the reported period transshipment of dry cargo grew by 8.4% to 41.3 million tons, transshipment of liquid bulk cargo totaled 61.8 million tons (+10%, year-on-year). In absolute terms the ports’ throughput grew by 9 million tons, which makes about 70% of total growth in 12 months of 2006.
45% of Russia’s port complex throughput falls on the North-West Basin: the region’s companies handled 46.59 million tons of cargo (+13.4%) including 17.6 million tons (+13%) of dry cargo and 29 million tons (+13.5%) of liquid bulk cargo. The highest dynamics was demonstrated by Spetsmornefteport LLC in Primorsk (+19%) and stevedoring company of St. Petersburg (+17.5%), administration of seaports of Vyborg and Vysotsk (+46%) (mostly owing to the results of DTC "LUKOIL-II" (Vysotsk) (+26%) and Rosterminalugol OJSC (over 4-fold)). However, throughput of the stevedoring company of Murmansk port decreased by almost 10%, which should be attribute mostly to decrease in transshipment of Murmansk Commercial Seaport OJSC (-15%).
Throughput of the southern grew by 4.2% to 39.4 million tons. The region’s results should be attributed mostly to a 14.5%-growth in transshipment of dry cargo, while transshipment of liquid bulk cargo has not changed a lot (+0.1%). Liquid bulk cargo make about 70% of the region’s total transshipment volume. Stevedores of the South Basin handled over 12.2 million tons of dry cargo and 27.2 million tons of liquid bulk cargo. The companies of the basin’s leading port, the port of Novorossijsk, handled over 28.8 million tons of cargo (+1.6%) including over 21.8 million tons of liquid bulk cargo. Throughput of the port of Tuapse decreased by 8% to 4.8 million tons owing to a fall in transshipment of liquid bulk cargo.
The ports of Russia’s Far East increased their throughput by 12.4%, while in 2006 they demonstrated negative dynamics. Q1 07 growth is attributed to the results of liquid bulk cargo transshipment. The region’s total throughput amounted to 17 million tons including 11.4 million tons of dry cargo (-3.4%) and over 5.6 million tons of liquid bulk cargo (+70%). Considerable growth was ensured by stevedoring company of the port of Vanino, which is Q1 largest port area of the Far East Basin owing to introduction of EXXON NEFTEGAZ LTD, a terminal, which handled over 2.7 million tons of liquid bulk cargo. Total throughput of the ports within the area of responsibility of the port of Vanino amounted to 5.1 million tons (+86%). Slight growth was also demonstrated by the port of Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Magadan. Vostochny port increased its results by 2% to 4.56 million tons. Stevedoring companies of the ports of Nkhodka and Vladivostok decreased their throughput to 3.4 million tons (-16%) and to 2.7(-4.4%) correspondingly. However, stevedores of the port of Vladivostok managed to decrease slowdown rates as compared to the previous months’ results. In January-February the decrease was at the level of 12.6%.