LONDON: Russian ports handled 186.4 million t of dry bulk commodities in the seven months to July, according to data from the Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport, 9% higher than the same period in 2015. Liquid cargo handling also increased – by 3% to 219.6 million t.
Dry bulk shipments through Russia’s Far East ports showed the biggest rise, up 15% to 63.5 million t. Growth in shipments through the Azov-Black Sea region – Russia’s key grain producing region – was not far behind at 14% to 55.5 million t. Arctic ports saw an 8% rise in dry bulk shipments to reach 14.9 million t, while dry bulk shipments through the Baltic ports grew just 1% to 50.7 million t.
The Caspian Sea ports were the only ones to show a fall in dry bulk shipments – and shipments overall. Dry bulk handling was down 15.9% to just 1.59 million t, while its liquid cargo handling was down 0.7% to 79.2 million t. Russia’s Far Eastern ports handle the country’s coal exports to the Asia Pacific region, while its shipments to Europe go through the Baltic and Murmansk in the Arctic.
