2012-07-25, 11:14
Joint Port of Klaipeda to Fight Latvians
© Vidmanto Matučio nuotr.
Klaipeda port still maintains a possibility to handle more cargo than the Latvian port of Ventspils. Klaipeda needs to handle 450 thousand tons more. Klaipeda managed to handle 16.85 million tons, while Ventspils handled 17.3 million tons.
It is important to note that the port of Ventspils managed to increase its handling capacities by 19.5 percent, while the port of Klaipeda has to deal with decrease of 8.5 percent.
Although the general trends for the upcoming half are good for the port of Klaipeda, the opportunities to handle more cargo than Riga are not real. Klaipeda handled 2 million tons less than the port of Riga. Riga handled 18.79 million tons.
The management of Riga port declared that they are targeting the all-time record cargo handling in the Baltic Sea and hopes to reach 40 million tons. According to the results of the first half, these claims do not seem to be realistic. It remains to note that the port of Riga increases its cargo handling very fast, reaching increase of 11.7 percent.
This year, the port of Klaipeda and Butinge terminal have submitted the joint cargo handling results reaching 20.3 million tons. Theoretically, the results exceed those of the Latvian ports. However, the general results of Lithuania (20.3 million tons) and Latvia (40.3 million tons) are very different.
The big difference is between the cargo growth. The joint port of Klaipeda and Butinge saw a decrease of 10.7 percent, while the Latvian ports grew by 17.1 percent. The port of Liepaja also managed to increase its handling capacities.
Although the port handled 3.5 million tons, it grew by 48 percent. The port’s success is rooted in its deepening. Nevertheless, the small port of Sillamae shows the biggest growth among the Baltic ports. It managed to grow by 50 percent. Last year, the port managed to handle 2.4 million tons throughout the first half; this year the port handled one million tons of cargo more. While some of the biggest Latvian ports show successful tendencies, the small ports are dying out.
The ports handled less cargo: Skulte (14.5 percent less), Salacgriva (7.5), Roja (43), and Paviloste (13). The Russian ports managed to handle 271 million tons of cargo throughout the first half of this year. This is 5.4 percent more than last year. The biggest growth is reached in the port of Ust Luga.
The port managed to handle 18.8 million tons of cargo; this is by 112 percent more than last year. The biggest levels of decrease are in the port of Tallinn. The port’s cargo handling decrease was by 15.9 million tons or 17.5 percent if compared to the results of last year. The port of Kaliningrad fell by 12.9 percent. The port handled 6.3 million tons of cargo during the first half.