OREANDA-NEWS. April 05, 2010. Cargo turnover at the port of Ust-Luga (Leningrad region) in January-March 2010 increased by 33% as compared with the same period in 2009, up to 2.4 million tons. In March 2010, freight volumes via the port amounted to almost 1 million tons. There were 310 ship calls against some 150 vessels in the 1st quarter of 2010. The Harbormaster office said that the volumes turned a little bit lower than expected due to difficult ice conditions at the port this early year.

Construction of Commercial Seaport of Ust-Luga facilities in Luga Bay, the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea has been carried out within the Federal Target Program "Modernization of Transport System of Russia" funded through govt. and private investments. Ust-Luga OJSC is the customer and developer of the port facilities.

The projected multi-purpose port capacity is 170 million tons of commodities a year. As of now, six marine bulk cargo (coal, coke, mineral fertilizers), timber and general cargoes terminals have been put into operation. A Ust-Luga - Baltiysk (Kaliningrad region) rail-ferry complex is operating at the port. A petroleum products terminal is scheduled to start this year, to deliver oil via a railroad line. In 2012 will become the end point of the Baltic Pipeline System 2 (BPS-2).

Port of Ust-Luga is located on the Russian border with the EU. Deep harborage waters (16 m) and a 3.7-km approach canal make the under construction port of Ust-Luga the major Russian port on the Baltic Sea. The port facilities allow handling 75.000-dwt bulkers and 120.000-dwt tankers. The port’s boundaries have been established by the Russian Govt. in May, 2009. In 2009 the Port Authority reported 10.3 million tons of handled cargoes and 1.031 ship calls (517 inbound and 514 outbound).