OREANDA-NEWS. January 17, 2011. Trade flows passing through the seaports of Russia in the calendar year 2010 increased by 5.9% as compared with 2009 to 525,85 million tons, the Association of Commercial Seaports press release said.

In the reporting period transshipment of dry cargo rose by 6.6% to 211,5 million tons, including: coal volume reached 68.70 million tons (+4.9%), container traffic jumped by 30.1% to 32.91 million tons, mineral fertilizers totaled 12.74 million tons (+23.9%), timber - 6.59 million tons (+9.1%), break bulk and packaged cargo surged two times as much to 5,470 million tons, scrap metal - 2,94 million tons (+9.8%) and sugar volume soared by 41.5% to 2,22 million tons.

Liquid bulk volume totaled 314,35 million tons (+5.5%), including: crude oil volume – 209,54 million tons (+3.7%), petroleum products – 103,06 million tons (+9.5% ).
Exports volume rose by 5% to 404,19 million tons, imports increased by 43.8% to 39,34 million tons, transit cargo rose by 2.7% to 45.96 million tons, while short sea trade volume dropped 7.5% to 36.35 million tons.
 
Operators of marine terminals of Northwestern Basin handled in the reporting period 227,59 million tons of cargo, 1.9% up from a year earlier. Dry cargo throughput increased by 9.6% to 82.77 million tons, liquid bulk cargo fell by 2.0% to 144,81 million tons. Throughput of Big Port of St. Petersburg rose by 15.2%, to 58 million tons, of the port of Kaliningrad - by 11.8%, to 13,83 million tons, of the port of Ust-Luga - by 13.7% to 11.78 million tons, of the port of Arkhangelsk - by 12,6%, to 3.67 million tons.

Freight flows via the South Basin’s ports of Russia fell by 0.3% to 180.29 million tons, including dry cargo - 64.35 million tons (2009’s throughput level), liquid bulk cargo – 115,94 million tons (-0.5%) . Stevedores of Port Kavkaz handled 10,1 million tons, up 16.9% y-o-y, of the port of Rostov - 7.71 million tons (+25.1%), the port of Astrakhan’s cargo throughput  rose by 27.6% to 5 million tons, while the port of Novorossiysk’s handled volume shrank by 4.7% to 117.08 million tons.

Far Eastern ports boosted freight turnover to 117.98 million tons (+28%), of which 64.38 million tons (+10.2%) of dry cargo and 53,6 million tons - liquid bulk, that is 1.6 times more than a year earlier. In the reporting period, operators of marine terminals at the port of Vanino handled 17,3 million tons, a 19.2-percent gain y-o-y, the port of Vladivostok transshipped 11,8m tons of cargo (+12.8%), Port Posiet’s throughput rose by 2.9% to 4 , 67 million tons, the port Olga handled 1,37 m tons, up 24.1% from 2009’s figures, the port of Magadan – 1,13m tons (+14.1%).
 
Stevedoring companies operating at Vostochny port reported a 1.9 times growth, to 35.68 million tons thanks to commissioning of Kozmino Oil Terminal. The launch of a Prigorodnoye terminal for exports oil and gas enabled Sakhalin ports to boost freight traffic volume by 1.4 times, to 20,36 million tons.
 
Association of Commercial Sea Ports (ASOP) was founded in 1987. Currently ASOP 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.