EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 707 thousand tons in August

Estonian state-owned rail freight operator EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 707 thousand tons in August, dropping by a third compared to August 2014. The total volume of goods hauled in the first eight months of the year reached 7.95 million tons, staying 21.5 per cent below last year’s first eight months’ volume.

EVR Cargo’s chairman of the board Ahto Altjõe remained hopeful that freight volumes may somewhat increase in the coming months. “Lower freight volumes are not only the result of the overall economic situation in the region, but also decreased demand for domestic oil shale,” noted Altjõe.

The overall volume of fertilisers in August decreased by 24 per cent year-on-year, reaching 244 thousand tons. Mineral liquid fuel volumes decreased by 39 per cent to 197 thousand tons. Dry bulk cargo volumes dropped by 56 per cent to 26 thousand tons. Oil shale volumes were down by 62 per cent, reaching 63 thousand tons and chemical goods volumes decreased by 20 per cent to 91 thousand tons. Container traffic volumes dropped by 30 per cent to 4126 TEUs in August.

The largest trade partner for EVR Cargo in August was Russia, where the total volume of goods exchanged reached 412 thousand tons. Russia was followed by Belarus with 53 thousand tons, Latvia with 21 thousand tons and Kazakhstan with 10 thousand tons. Trade exchange with Lithuania increased to 71thousand tons.

Transit freight volumes reached 419 thousand tons in August, forming 59 per cent of the total freight volume and decreasing by 21.5 per cent compared to August last year.

During the first eight months of the year, EVR Cargo’s total freight volume has reached 7.95 million tons, dropping by 21.5 per cent compared to last year. The volume of mineral liquid fuels decreased by 32 per cent to 2.84 million tons. The volume of fertilisers has increased by 10 per cent to 2.4 million tons. The freight volume of chemical goods has reduced by 8 per cent to 664 thousand tons, the volume of oil shale transport has dropped by 30 per cent to 1.1million tons and the volume of dry bulk cargo by 48 per cent to 251 thousand tons. Container volumes reached 30 501 TEUs in the first eight months, down by 40 per cent from last year.

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 approximately 3000 wagons and 70 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.