Transportation volume of North-Western Shipping Company up 10% in Jan-Sep 07

 In January-September 2007, transportation volume of North-Western Shipping Company OJSC grew by 10%, year-on-year, to 4.567 million tonnes, the company’s press center reports. Foreign trade transportation totaled 3.4 million tonnes. In the reported period, transportation of coal grew by 3,000 tonnes, iron and manganese ore – by 6,000 tonnes, timber – by 14,800 tonnes, construction cargo and cement – by 45,000 tonnes. Transshipment of chemical and mineral fertilizers, coke, non-ferrous metal ore and sulfur raw materials, ferrous metal, grain and grain products was at the level of the previous year.

Cargo fleet was loaded to its full capacity. The revenue from transportation totaled $82,337,540 (+11%, year-on-year). The revenue from internal fleet operation doubled. Efficiency of the mixed sea-and-river going fleet grew by 11.5 %, natural output (tonne/vessel) – by 10.4%, monetary output ($/verssel) – by 11.6 %. In the first half of the year the crews of the company saved 756 tonnes of fuel.

In January-September 2007, 110 cargo vessels of North-Western Shipping Company were deployed for transportation between the ports of Baltic, North, Balck, Azov and Mediterranean Seas as well as at internal waterways of Russia. North-Western Shipping Company completes navigation at the Northern Sea Route. The best performance on Arctic routes were demonstrated by MV Amur-2510, Amur -2520 and Sormosvski-3064. Besides deliveries of equipment for Gazprom from Archangelsk, the above vessels and four MV of STK type transported construction materials to the port of Kharasavei.

The company’s vessels were a success when tugging modules for construction of drilling units at the shelf of the Caspian Sea.

From October till December the vessels of the Volgo-Balt project will make 16 voyages from Germany to St. Petersburg for delivery of units needed for construction of medical clinics. Four MV participate in this project. The first batch under this contract was delivered to Sea Port of St. Petersburg on October 16 by MV Volgo-Balt-201.

The company is reviving one of its traditional activities – transportation of potash from Ventspils to the ports of Poland. The contract volume is 50,000 tonnes. The project will involve the vessels of Omski and Volgo-Balt type.

Export of grain will ensure loading of 15 Volgo-Don type vessels in the Southern Basin. Besides, there is a perspective to deliver different materials and equipment to the ports of the Black Sea in view of construction of Olympics facilities in Sochi, which is to be started in November of the current year.