Russia seaports boost cargo handling 2.2% to 222.7 mln tonnes in H1

Russian seaports boosted cargo handling 2.2% year-on-year (or 4.8 million tonnes) to 222.7 million tonnes in the first half of 2008, the Association of Commercial Seaports said according to Interfax.

Dry cargo handling went up 5.7% to 94.7 million tonnes while tanker cargo handling remained at 127.9 million tonnes.

Cargo handling in the Northwest basin went up 3.9% year-on-year to over 104 million tonnes, of which dry cargo and tanker cargo accounted for 42.4 million tonnes (up 3.9%) and 61.8 million tonnes (1.4%), respectively.

Cargo handling at St. Petersburg port went up 4.6% to 29.6 million tonnes while handling at Primorsk port increased 2.3% to 37.3 million tonnes. Vyborg, Vysotsk and Ust-Luga ports boosted cargo handling 10.2% to 12.2 million tonnes. In absolute terms, this increase came to 1.1 million tonnes largely owing to the operations of OOO RPK-Vysotsk- Lukoil-II and OJSC Rosterminalugol.

Ports at the southern basin reduced handling 3% to 77.4 million tonnes. Dry cargo handling and tanker cargo went down 4.6% to 23.5 million tonnes and 2.3% to 53.9 million tonnes, respectively.

OJSC Novorossiysk Commercial SeaPort (NCSP) (RTS: NMTP) reduced cargo handling by 2.5% to 34.5 million tonnes, OJSC Tuapsinsk Commercial Seaport - 1.5% to 96.5 million tonnes and Yeisky Port - 18.6% to 1.6 million tonnes. However, Makhachkala Port increased cargo handling 8.2% to 3.4 million tonnes, of which dry cargo went up 7.9% to 1.1 million

tonnes and tanker cargo increased 8.3% to 2.3 million tonnes.

Far Eastern ports boosted cargo handling 8.7% to 41 million tonnes, of which dry cargo accounted for 28.8 million tonnes (up 12.3%) and tanker cargo - 12.2 million tonnes (0.9%). Sea terminal operators at Eastern Port boosted handling 2% to 10.7 million tonnes, Vladivostok Port - 7.9 million tonnes (30.7%). Vanino and Sakhalin ports reduced cargo turnover 5% to 10.6 million tonnes and 3.9% to 1.9 million tonnes, respectively.