Cargo Handling at the Port of Klaipeda and Adjacent Ports

                      Increase of Ro-ro units (change + 22.2 percent) was generated by growth of handling of trailers, highway freighters and trucks in the port of Klaipeda.  In July this year, over 20.3 thousand ro-ro units were handles which is the highest monthly figure in 2006.  The growth is a result of stricter drivers’ time accounting control on the roads of Poland and intensifying trade between East and West. 

 

 

Figure 3.  Cargo turnover results in the ports on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea (thousand tons)

 

 

n. d. – no data available

 

Throughout the first seven months of this year the port of Tallinn handled 24.06 million tons of cargo (+3,9 percent change in comparison to the same period of 2005). In terms of cargo type, dry bulk cargo handling grew by +42,3 percent or 1 975,7 thousand tons, general cargo +10,6 percent or 255,8 thousand tons, while amount of liquid cargo handled decreased by –8,4 percent or 1 345,3 thousand tons.  Liquid cargoes 60,9 percent accounted for the largest share in the total handling structure in Tallinn port.

 

Cargo handling figure for the port of Ventspils in January through July 2006 was 16,88 million tons, the figure for the corresponding period of 2005 was 17,65 million tons.  In terms of cargo type, amount of dry bulk cargo handled was –24,2 percent, correspondingly less by 4,70 million tons, general cargo increased 3,3 times to 1,46 million tons and liquid cargo by –2,5 percent to 10,72 million tons.  In terms of cargo nomenclature, handling of Ro-ro (+ 936 thousand tons), crude oil (+516 thousand tons) and ammonia (+ 181 thousand tons) have grown.  Handling of the main transit cargoes – oil products and bulk fertilizers – slumped respectively by 964 thousand tons and 1482 thousand tons.

 

In the first seven months of 2006 the port of Riga handled 15,20 million tons of cargo, which is +6,2 percent more in relation to the same period of the previous year.  Handling of dry bulk cargo accounted for the larger share of the total amounting to more than 9,43 million tons, this amount exceeded the same period last year amount by +12,3 percent or 1 030,5 thousand tons. Amount of bulk fertilizers handled was -92,6 thousand tons or –10,2 percent less than the previous year.  Coal handling increased by +10,8 percent or 659,5 thousand tons and accounted for 44,4 percent of total handling turnover.

Amount of general cargo handled in the port of Riga was 2,95 million tons (-22,2 percent down in comparison to January-July of the previous year).  In terms of general cargo nomenclature, timber accounted for 1 783,5 thousand tons (-26,0 percent), and containerised cargo 935,2 thousand tons (+5,5 percent). Turnover of liquid cargo for January-July increased by +33,3 percent in comparison to the previous year and amounted to 2,81 million tons including 2,78 million tons of oil products (+38,4 percent).

During the seven months of this year 130,4 thousand passengers (change +7,5 percent) visited port of Riga, including 47,7 thousand  passengers of cruise ships.

 

Amount of cargo handled in the port of Kaliningrad throughout the first seven months of this year was equal to 9,25 million tons (+4,7 percent up in relation to the same period of 2005). Increase was recorded for handling of liquid cargo bulk of which is made up of oil products, the figure was +795,8 thousand tons or +15,2 percent.  Turnover of dry bulk cargo totalled –85,6 thousand tons or –7,5 percent less.  Slump in handling of general cargo (figure for January-July 2006 was 1 850,6 thousand tons, while in January-July 2005 – 2 138,6 thousand tons) was caused by lower amounts of metals and timber handled.  Slump in general cargo and bulk cargo handling accounted for the largest decrease in total handling figures in Kaliningrad port.

In the first seven months of 2006 the turnover of containerised cargo increased both in terms of tonnage and TEU units.  Ro-ro unit handling in the port of Kaliningrad increased by +33,3 percent, however, it accounted for less than 1 percent in the total cargo nomenclature.

 

Amount of cargo handled in the port of Liepaja in January-July 2006 was 2,41 million tons, which is less by –10,3 percent than in January-July of 2005. Handling of liquid cargo amounted to 594,3 thousand tons or +40,5 percent more than in the same period of the previous year, bulk cargo – 937,6 thousand tons (growth of +27,3 percent in relation to the corresponding period of the previous year).  Growth of these types of cargo is the result of increased handling of agricultural goods, scrap metals and oil products.

Figure for general cargoes was down from 1 528,5 thousand tons in 2005 to 879 thousand tons in 2006 (change –42,5 percent), which caused slump in overall handling figures for the port of Liepaja.  In terms of cargo nomenclature, decrease was recorded for Ro-ro handling (-357,4 thousand tons), timber (-138,4 thousand tons) and ferrous metals (–102,2 thousand tons).