Estonia, Port, Tourism, Transport

Although the reduction in freight flows has stopped, the amount of freight handled during this year will be smaller than the amount handled last year, the port's chief commercial officer Erik Ringmaa said.

"This fall, freight volumes have increased compared to last year, because impacts from the drop in the price of oil, the Ukraine crisis and the ensuing sanctions, and also the impacts related to the weakening of the Russian currency were strongly expressed in freight flows already in the first half of last year. As a result of the aforementioned impacts the full-year freight flow is expected to drop by up to 20%," Ringmaa said.

The biggest increase in October was registered in bulk cargoes. Also the amounts of liquid cargoes, the top category of freight, moved higher. Bulk cargoes totaled 334,000 tons and liquid cargoes 1.3 million tons in October, respectively 40.2% and 7% more than in the same month a year ago. An increase took place also in rolling stock –- by 4% to 392,000 tons.

The number of containers passing through the ports dropped 26.4% year over year to 17,112 TEU and the amount of goods shipped in containers was down 20.1% at 138,000 tons. Mixed cargoes declined 10.3% to 50,700 tons.

The ports received 138 visits by freight ships during October.