In 2022 Q1, 4.8 million tonnes of cargo and 896 thousand passengers passed through the harbours of Tallinna Sadam. Compared to the same period of previous year, the number of passengers increased by 140% i.e. 524 thousand passengers whereas the cargo volume decreased by 8%. The number of vessel calls declined by 2% to 1645 calls. The number of passengers travelling between the Estonian mainland and the main islands increased by 20% and the number of vehicles by 13%. The number of charter days of the icebreaker Botnica stayed at the same level as in the previous year, utility rate of the vessel was 100%.
According to Valdo Kalm, chairman of the management board of Tallinna Sadam, the passenger business is recovering from the low-point caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are seeing an increase in passenger traffic, especially on the Tallinn-Helsinki route, but we are still vulnerable to the risks of a pandemic, and there is a degree of caution among distant countries towards this area regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. Nevertheless, we are optimistic about the summer period and we are waiting for visitors from neighboring countries and cruise tourists who enjoy travelling,” explained Kalm.
The decrease in cargo volume is primarily due to the decrease in dry bulk and liquid bulk. In dry bulk, the handling of fertilizers, as well as wood pellets decreased, but at the same time the export of grain stored increased significantly due to the growth in market prices. The decline in liquid bulk was mainly caused by the imposition of sanctions on Belarussian oil products from March. The increase in container traffic is due to the low base of the previous year, when there was a shortage of empty containers in the world and global supply chain failures. The growth trend of ro-ro goods continues.
“The impact of the sanctions applied to Russia on the cargo volumes of Tallinna Sadam is expected in the following periods, and it will primarily affect the volumes of oil and gas products and fertilizers, i.e. liquid bulk and dry bulk. On the other hand, due to the relocation of trade flows, new opportunities in storage business may arise,"said Kalm.
