Slovenian Port Operator Luka Koper’s Jan-Sept Cargo Throughput Falls 20% Y/Y

The cargo throughput was 13% below plan, Luka Koper said in a statement.

The biggest drop was registered by the Car Terminal – 50% lower compared to the first nine months of 2008 and 24% below projections. The timber and liquid cargo increased their throughput volumes, the company added but did not elaborate.

From January through September the company, operating the Adriatic port of Koper, handled 245,664 TEUs of container cargo, six percent less on the year, but 2.4% higher than planned. A TEU (twenty-feet equivalent unit) container is a basic unit, which can contain 15 to 20 tonnes of cargo.

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 Ljubljana Stock Exchnge, were trading 2.36% up at an average price of 28.6 euro by 1000 GMT on Thursday.