EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 986 thousand tons in May

Estonian state-owned rail freight operator EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 986 thousand tons in May, dropping by 11 per cent compared to May 2014.

EVR Cargo’s chairman of the board Ahto Altjõe said that the decline in freight volumes slowed somewhat in May, however the five months freight turnover level is still well below last year’s result.  “We are pleased that fertiliser volumes are back to normal after a planned suspension, but there is some concern about container traffic volumes and project cargo deliveries,” said Altjõe.

The overall volume of mineral liquid fuels in May decreased by 14 per cent year-on-year, reaching 321 thousand tons. Fertiliser volumes increased by 23 per cent to 290 thousand tons. Dry bulk cargo volumes dropped by 26 per cent to 46 thousand tons. Oil shale volumes were down by 21 per cent, reaching 152 thousand tons and chemical goods volumes decreased by 33 per cent to 82 thousand tons. Container traffic volumes dropped by 52 per cent to 3285 TEUs in May.

The most important trade partner for EVR Cargo in May was Russia, where the total volume of goods exchanged reached 551 thousand tons tons, increasing by 2 per cent year-on-year. Russia was followed by Belarus with 112 thousand tons, Latvia with 37 thousand tons and Kazakhstan with 7 thousand tons. Trade exchange with Lithuania increased by 63 per cent to 63 thousand tons.

Transit freight volumes reached 658 thousand tons in May, forming 67 per cent of the total freight volume and decreasing by six per cent compared to May last year.

During the first five months of the year, EVR Cargo’s freight volume has reached 5.4 million tons, dropping by 22 per cent compared to last year. The volume of mineral liquid fuels decreased by 35 per cent to 2.04 million tons. The volume of fertilisers has increased by 12 per cent to 1.46 million tons. The freight volume of chemical goods has been reduced by 17 per cent to 391 thousand tons, the volume of oil shale transport has dropped by 11 per cent to 917 thousand tons and the volume of dry bulk cargo by 50 per cent to 154 thousand tons. Container volumes reached 18 325 TEUs in the first five months, down by 43 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.