EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 1.12 million tons in February

Estonian state-owned rail freight operator EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 1.12 million tons in January, dropping by 21 per cent compared to January 2014.

According to EVR Cargo’s chairman of the board Ahto Altjõe, the considerable reduction in the freight volumes of the largest trade group - liquid mineral fuels - was substantial enough to withstand the slight increases in some other freight groups. “Although normally we see larger oil volumes in the winter months, this season we are witnessing a decline in this segment that is only slightly compensated by the increase in fertiliser trade,” noted Altjõe. “There are a multitude of reasons for the decrease, primarily related to the economic turmoil in the nearby markets and increased competition from road transport,” added Altjõe.

Container traffic volumes dropped by 31 per cent to 4159 TEUs in February, due to a planned upgrading period at a key customer’s plant in Russia. “This was also impacted by the overall economic situation in Russia, as the import of containers through Russia’s own ports has decreased by 30 per cent compared to last year,” explained Altjõe.

The overall volume of mineral liquid fuels in February decreased by 37 per cent year-on-year, reaching 422 thousand tons. Oil shale volumes dropped by 15 per cent to 228 thousand tons, chemical goods volumes by 16 per cent to 70 thousand tons and dry bulk cargo dropped by 64 per cent to 19 thousand tons. Fertilisers were up by 43 per cent, reaching 304 thousand tons.

The most important trade partner for EVR Cargo in February was Russia, where the total volume of goods exchanged reached 559 thousand tons tons, decreasing by 19 per cent year-on-year. Russia was followed by Belarus with 135 thousand tons, Latvia with 57 thousand tons and Kazakhstan with 40 thousand tons. Trade exchange with Lithuania increased by three per cent to 36 thousand tons.

Transit freight volumes reached 695 thousand tons in February, forming 62 per cent of the total freight volume and decreasing by about a quarter compared to February last year.

During the first two months of the year, EVR Cargo’s freight volume has reached 2.43 million tons, dropping by 19 per cent compared to last year. The volume of mineral liquid fuels decreased by 34 per cent to 944 thousand tons. The volume of fertilisers has increased by 29 per cent to 663 thousand tons. The freight volume of chemical goods has been reduced by 18 per cent to 146 thousand tons, the volume of oil shale transport has dropped by 10 per cent to 466 thousand tons and the volume of dry bulk cargo by 59 per cent to 45 thousand tons.

AS EVR Cargo was separated from Estonian Railways in 2012, the company serves its customers in Estonia on a 1229-kilometre long railway track as well as over the entire 1520-millimeter gauge railway network, stretching from Finland to the Black Sea and from the Baltic States to the coast of the Sea of Japan, covering all CIS member states. Rail cars are hauled to and from Russia and surrounding regions in block trains or shuttles, requiring less formalities and thus ensuring faster delivery times. The company also has its own fleet of more than 3300 wagons and 80 locomotives and offers rolling stock repair and maintenance services to its customers. The Estonian logistics hub has several competitive advantages: fully renovated railway infrastructure with more than 25 million tons of annual free capacity, modern port and terminal infrastructure, transparent costs and a business-friendly tax and economic environment.