OREANDA-NEWS. April 08, 2009. During January-March this year 6,48 million tons of seaborne cargo, i.e.  -17,9 percent or by 1,41 million t less than during the same period 2008, reported the press-centre of Klaipeda Port.
 
The biggest growth rates during January-March this year were reached in handling agricultural products (+144,3 thousand t), bulk peat (+39,9 thousand t), minerals and building materials (+19,6 thousand t) and packed fertilizers (+15,6 thousand t), comparing to January-March  2008.
                     
Cargo handling volumes decreased by one fourth during March 2009 when 2,18 million t of cargo was handled, i.e. by  -24,2 percent, comparing to March 2008.

Stevedoring volumes of liquid cargo during the first spring month of 2009 decreased by -25,9 percent, bulk and dry bulk by -25,6 percent and general cargo by -19,8 percent in comparison with March 2008.

Among the types of liquid cargo there increased the handling volumes of liquid fertilizers (during March 2009 127,6 thousand t was handled, during March 2008 – 125,8 thousand t, difference +1,8 thousand t) and molasses (during March 2009 6,6 thousand t was handled, during March 2008– 5,2 thousand t, difference +1,4 thousand t). Comparing to March last year, there mostly decreased stevedoring volumes of oil products (during March 2009 652,2 thousand t was handled, during March 2008 – 945,7 thousand t, difference -293,5 thousand t).

Comparing stevedoring volumes of bulk cargo during March 2009 and 2008 the growth was observed in handling minerals and building materials (+41,1 thousand t, 73,8 thousand t was handled, difference +2,3 times) and peat (+20,5 thousand t,  41,4 thousand t was handled, difference +98,4 percent). During March 2009 there mostly decreased stevedoring volumes of bulk fertilizers (-201,9 thousand t, 456,5 thousand t was handled, difference -30,7 percent), scrap metal(-40,6 thousand t, 13,7 thousand t was handled, difference -74,8 percent) and raw sugar (-37,8 thousand t, 16,0 thousand t was handled, difference -70,2 percent), comparing to March 2008.

Among the types of general cargo there grew stevedoring volumes of packed fertilizers during March 2009 (+13,0 thousand t, 31,8 thousand t was handled, difference +68,8 percent) and iron and steel products (+3,7 thousand t, 42,5 thousand t was handled, difference +9,6 percent).  There mostly decreased the volumes of containers (from the point of view of tonnage) (-78,9 thousand t, 206,8 thousand t was handled, difference -27,6 percent), Ro-Ro cargo (from the point of view of tonnage) (-52,4 thousand t, 268,7 thousand t was handled , difference -16,3 percent) and timber (-33,4 thousand t, 35,5 thousand t was handled, difference -48,5 percent).

The turnover of containers (TEU) during March 2009 was less by -22,6 percent than during March 2008 (during March 2009 22 129 TEU was handled, difference -6 471 TEU). Ro-Ro units handling decreased by -23,2 percent (during March 2009 14 112 units were handled, difference -4 260 units).

During March 2009 12,77 thousand passengers visited Klaipeda port, i.e. by -20,7 percent less than during the same period 2008.
 
Butinge terminal turnover during March 2009 decreased by 35,6 percent and made 600,7 thousand tons comparing to the same period 2008.