The aggregate throughput of the stevedoring companies incorporated in Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port Group made 127.3 mn tons during January-November 2018 declining 3.1% year-on-year.
Geographically, the only port location where the throughput declined was Primorsk, which lost 8.9% handling 48.4 mn tons.
Baltiysk (Baltic Stevedore Co) grew both in terms of TEU (up 4.4%) and tonnage (up 2.9%).
Novorossiysk-based assets of the group (these include Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port proper, Novoroslesexport, Importpishscheprom, Novorossiysk Shiprepair Yard and Novorossiysk Grain Terminal, and Novorossiysk Fuel Oil Terminal, a joint venture with Chernomorskie Main Pipeline Company) handled almost 80 mn tons, up 0.8% year-on-year.
Liquid bulk, which accounts for the major share in the aggregate throughput of the Group, dropped 6.6% year-on-year down to 91.1 mn tons. Crude oil traffic decreased both in Novorossiysk and Primorsk. While Novorossiysk saw its volume decline 12.2% down to 25.1 mn tons, Primorsk lost 14.9% handling 34.7 mn tons.
Oil products volume, on the contrary, grew 11.4% up to 30.4 mn tons. Novorossiysk was up 11.9% to 16.7 mn tons, and Primorsk up 10.9% to 13.7 mn tons.
In November, Novorossiysk-based IPP loaded its first export designated shipment of sunflower oil. The target figure for 2019 for this commodity is 600-700 thousand tons. Provided the demand is growing, the capacity can be extended to 1-1.5 mn tons in 2020.
Solid bulk increased 3.7% up to 15.9 mn tons. The growth was due to increasing export of grains. Grain handling grew by 66.7% up to 10.7 mn tons. Other commodities in this segment declined.
Coal traffic dropped 32.6% down to 1.3 mn tons negatively affected by the course of the Turkish lira. Chemicals were down 32.8% to 457 thousand tons, and iron ore down 16.5% to 2 mn tons.
General cargo grew 7.9% up to some 13.7 mn tons, the only commodity in this group that actually grew was ferrous metals and cast iron, which were up 2.1% to 11.2 mn tons.
Non-ferrous metals were down 24.1% to 826 thousand tons, timber and logs down 31.5% to 262 thousand tons, and perishables down 31.8% to 173 thousand tons.
Container traffic via Novorossiysk declined, while that via Baltiysk grew.