OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2011. Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port Group (LSE: NCSP, MICEX: NMTP) reports consolidated operating results for January-August 2011.

To ensure comparability with previous periods the statistics have been adjusted for the volumes handled by Primorsk Trade Port Ltd., which was acquired by NCSP Group in January 2011.

In the first eight months of 2011 liquid cargo volumes recorded an increase of 975.8 thousand tons or 1.1% versus the same period of last year.

Volumes of oil products transshipment across the Group increased by 36.3% or 3 156.4 thousand tons. This growth is attributable to diesel transshipment in Primorsk and to the increase of fuel oil handling at the Sheskharis Oil Terminal.

NCSP Group continues to increase grain handling volumes. In August the Group handled 989.1 thousand tons which represents an all-time record month. In January-August, 2011 the Group handled 1 874.8 thousand tons in total.

Growth was also recorded in other bulk cargoes: iron ore and ore concentrate (+ 1 414.3 thousand tons or 144.7%), mineral fertilizers (+ 164.9 thousand tons or 11.8%) and sugar (+ 119.2 thousand tons or 9.1%).

General cargo turnover in the first eight months of 2011 totaled 6 315.0 thousand tons, representing a -16.4% or 1 239.4 thousand tons reduction versus the same period of last year. Volumes of timber (-409.5 thousand tons or -52.0%) and ferrous metals (-838.2 thousand tons or -14.7%) decreased due to the reduction in purchasing activity of main consumers caused by political instability in the Middle East and Northern Africa and general market volatility. 

In the first eight months of 2011 container traffic in TEU terms increased by 42.6% versus the same period of last year and totaled 405.3 thousand TEU.

NCSP Group’s total cargo turnover in the reporting period amounted to 103 556.8 thousand tons which represents a decrease of 1 445.6 thousand tons or -1.4% versus January-August 2010.