LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), November 10 (SeeNews) – Container traffic at the Slovenian Adriatic port of Koper fell 5.0% on the year to 280,349 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first 10 months of 2009, port operator Luka Koper said on Tuesday.
The traffic has been affected by the economic downturn which hit container flows especially hard in early 2009, the company said in a filing with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (LJSE).
The total volume of container freight loaded/unloaded at the port in October amounted to the equivalent of 34,685 TEUs, the highest monthly volume in the port’s history, the statement said.
“This record can undoubtedly be attributed to new infrastructure which has made Luka Koper’s operations even more efficient, and thereby more attractive to shippers, particularly as regards trade flows from the Far East.”
In terms of throughput, the port handled 1,372,132 tonnes of cargo in October, 12% ahead of anticipated volumes.
“Although overall performance in the first nine months of 2009 was 11% down on 2008, we remain most optimistic about the final quarter as well as the year ahead. Although vehicles, general and dry bulk cargos have been relatively sluggish, timber and perishables, as well as liquid cargos, have all recorded increases on last year’s levels,” the statement said.
Luka Koper's Container Terminal has 596 metres of operative quayside with four panamax and four post-panamax cranes. The total storage capacity of the port operator is 19,000 TEUs. The total storage area covers 172,000 square metres, while the estimated throughput potential is 600,000 TEUs per year.
Luka Koper shares, part of the broader SBI20 index of the LJSE, closed 1.62% down at an average price of 27.34 euro ($41) on Tuesday.
($=0.6668 euro)