International transportation group UCL Holding owning a number of Russian stevedoring companies in the ports of St. Petersburg, Ust-Luga, Taganrog and Tuapse, announced its 2016 results. According to the company’s press release, the total handled volume increased by 3%, up to 34.1 mln tons, the growth explained by a huge leap by 41% of containerized cargo, up to 7.1 mln tons, or 581.7 th. TEU.

The most part of the container volume was handled at the operator’s flagman facility, Container Terminal Saint-Petersburg (CTSP). Having increased its throughput by 40% in 2016, CTSP reached the figure of 557.8 th. TEU and became the largest container terminal in Russia, leaving behind the former leaders, the two Global Ports’ facilities in St. Petersburg: First Container Terminal (480.4 th. TEU) and Petrolesport (264.5 th. TEU), both having reduced its volumes by 16.8% and 29.7% respectively.

Other cargos handled by the stevedoring companies of UCL Holding demonstrate more modest results. Thus, dry bulk in total remained stable at 11.2 mln tons (-0.7%): coal volumes at Ust-Luga and Tuapse and grain exports from Tuapse each grew by 3% (7.8 mln tons and 2.2 mln tons, respectively), ore handling at the St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga facilities increased by 17% (1.1 mln tons). This compensated a 74% drop in mineral fertilizers (131 th.tons), whose handling was re-directed from the Sea Port of Saint-Petersburg to other specialized terminals of Russia and the Baltic states. General cargo (scrap metals, fruit imports from Turkey) were down 5%, to 8.6 mln tons. Liquid cargo, handled at Tuapse and Taganrog facilities, also experienced a drop of 8%, to 7.2 mln tons.

UCL Ports 2016 results