OREANDA-NEWS. September 10, 2010. In recent eight months, freight traffic passing through the ports of Russia rose by 8 percent compared with Jan-Aug, 2009 to 350.63 million tons.

In the reporting period the volume of dry cargo handled at Russian ports increased by 10.1% to 141.07 million tons. Transshipment of coal rose to 45.14 million tons (+4.6%), containerized cargo – to 21.17 million tons (+33, 4%), ferrous metals – to 18.91 million tons (+1.5%), grain cargo - 13.9 million tons (+1.7%), mineral fertilizer - 8.4 million tons (+33.9%), timber - 4.67 million tons (+15.4%).

The volume of liquid bulk cargo amounted to 209.56 million tons (+6.6%), including: crud oil – to 140.44 million tons (+4.7%), petroleum products – to 68.05 million tons (+11.0% ).

Eight-month volume of exports reached 272.5 million tons, up 8.1% over the same period last year. Transshipment of imported goods amounted to 23.99 million tons (+35.2%), transit cargoes – to 29,95 m tons (at the level of last year), while volume of short sea trade fell 2.5 percent to 24.19 million tons.

Stevedores of the Russian North-West sea ports handled in Jan-Aug., 2.4 percent more cargoes than a year earlier, 150.4 million tons. The volume of dry cargoes reached 53.5 million tons (+8.6%), the volume of liquid bulk cargo was down 0.8 percent to 96.85 million tons. Freight turnover of the Big Port of St. Petersburg increased by 14.2% to 36.98 million tons, the port of Kaliningrad posted a 17.3-percent gain, to 9.58 million tons, the port of Ust-Luga handled 7, 4 million tons, up 18.9% y-o-y, cargo flows via the port of Arkhangelsk rose 8%, to 7.76 million tons.
 
The South Basing ports’ throughput rose by 2.9% to 122.7 million tons, including 44.87 million tons of dry cargo (+7.9%), 77.8 million tons of liquid bulk cargo (last year’s level). The terminal operators at the port of Tuapse handled 12.7 million tons (+4.5%), at the port Kavkaz - 6.78 million tons (+26.6%), of Rostov port - 5.37 million tons (47.9%), of the port of Azov - 3.3 million tons (+13.6%).

Ports of the Russia’s Far East boosted cargo turnover to 77.54 million tons (+32.4%), of which 42.68 million tons (+14.3%) of dry cargo and 34.86 million tons of liquid cargo, as much as 1,6 times more than in Jan-Aug., 2009. Stevedores of Vanino Port demonstrated a 4.9-percent throughput growth, to 16.2 million tons, Vladivostok handled 11,39 million tons, a 16.2% gain, Nakhodka transshipped 10,74 million tons (+1.4%). Cargo turnover of Vostochny Port was up 1.9 times as much from Jan-Aug. 2009, to 23.5 million tons thanks to launching of a crude and petroleum products handling complex in Kozmino port, Sakhalin ports’ throughput increased by 1,7 times, to 13.2 million tons due to commissioning of an oil and gas handling facility at Prigorodny.

Association of Commercial Sea Ports (ASOP) was founded in 1987. Currently ASSOP unites more than 50 Russian organizations and enterprises of maritime transport. The Association includes commercial sea ports, forwarding and agency companies, research institutes and maritime transport schools. The outcome data of the Russian port complex is based on statistical reports, covering all stevedoring companies operating in the country.