OREANDA-NEWS. March 17, 2009. In January-February 2008, Russian ports handled 71.58 mln t (+5.2%, year-on-year), The Association of Sea Commercial Ports states. In the reported period, Russian ports handled 25.63 million tonnes of dry cargo (-7.1%) and 45.95 million tonnes of liquid bulk cargo (+13.6%).

Operators of sea terminals in the North-West Basin handled 32.94 million tonnes of cargo (+0.7%) including 10.55 million tonnes of dry cargo (-17.5%) and 22.39 million tonnes of liquid bulk cargo (+12.3%).

The ports of the Southern Basin handled 27.39 million tonnes of cargo (+19.3%) including 8.18 million tonnes of dry cargo (+27.9%) and 19.21 million tonnes of liquid bulk cargo (+16.0%).

In the Far Eastern region the ports handled 11.25 million tonnes of cargo (-9.1%) including 6.90 million tonnes of dry cargo (-18.0%) and 4.35 million tonnes of liquid bulk cargo (+9.7%).

The decrease in transshipment of dry cargo should be attributed mainly to the fall of container transportation by 33.7%  (export – by 28.7%, import – by 44.1%,  transit – by 56.3%). Apart from this export of timber fell by 49.9%,  chemical mineral fertilizers – by 46.0%, ferrous metal – by 10.0%; import of dry bulk fell by 22.5%, dry loose cargo – by 31.5%,  general cargo – by 40.5%.