SSG No 20 - Shipgaz

PORTs & MARiTiME lOGisTiCs
Tankchem’s terminal for liquid fertilisers in sillamäe was inaugurated in December 2006.
port had loaded ten tankers a month, but
now merely two or three. Crude petrol is
imported from Russia by ships instead of
the railway, and thereafter it is blended and
loaded to a ship again.
Transit geography needs changes
The transit impediments, which struck
Estonian ports relatively unexpectedly,
coincide with the massive propaganda
attack by Russia against Estonia at the end
of April, involving Russian youth organisations
and even some Russian companies
having a shareholding in Estonian port terminals.
At the same time, in the meeting
of the Russian Government Marine Collegium
on May 2, it was ordered that Russian
cargo be exported via Russian ports.
The change came quickly and Estonia
was not ready for it, but Russia itself was
not ready either. Russia wanted to direct
the former goods in transit to its own
ports, but in reality large quantities went
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to Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Ukraine.
Due to rising construction prices in Estonia
the Port of Tallinn has divided Stage II
of Muuga harbour into several stages and
made construction of a new container terminal
the first priority. This will make it
possible to service Asian containers.
In the Paldiski South harbour the Port
of Tallinn will commence construction of
two new berths for dry bulk and general
cargo, in order to separate cargo handling
from passengers and ro­ro cargo. It is possible
that the former dividends policy of
the state, which transferred a large portion
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of the profits of the Port of Tallinn to the
state budget, will need to be revised. The
EU Cohesion Fund also assists in construction
of Muuga harbour.
From road to sea
Bekker, Pärnu and Kunda, the former
export ports, are influenced by a different
distance from the Russian border. The cargo
turnover in Pärnu has decreased year on
year, that of the Bekker Port has remained
the same, but Kunda is witnessing a new
phenomenon. Impediments on the Russian
land border have resulted wood being
shipped to the Port of Kunda. It can be
joked that Russia has forced its businessmen
to fulfil the EU goal of shifting cargo
from roads to sea.
The cargo turnover of the Port of Kunda
in the first nine months of this year has
increased 42.2 per cent, thereby imports
have grown nearly 1.5 times. Imported
roundwood is accompanied by coal, while
the quantity of liquid cargo has decreased.
The concept of Kunda as a port servicing
the local industry is fully justified in the
present conditions. If cargo cannot be carried
by land, another way has to be found.
Cars in Estonian ports
Over 50,000 new automobiles, brought by
ro­ro line vessels as well as car carriers, are
unloaded in the Paldiski South Harbour
this year. The growth of cars and consumer
goods in the ports on the border of the EU
and Russia must be welcomed. According
to Viktor Palmet, the Director of the Estonian
Ports Association, transit and processing
of consumer goods would bring more
money for the ports.
“The buyer and seller decide on the
route. Russia wishes to load its bulk cargo
in its own ports, but consumer goods are
not Russian goods”, explains mr Palmet.
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46 sCAnDinAviAn sHiPPinG GAZETTE • OCTOBER 26, 2007