Port of Tallinn operational volumes for 2022 Q1

In 2022 Q1, 4.8 million tonnes of cargo and 896,000 passengers passed through the harbours of Port of Tallinn. Compared to the same period of previous year, the number of passengers increased by 140% i.e. 524,000 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%.

According to Valdo Kalm, chairman of the management board of Port of Tallinn, 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 Port of Tallinn 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.

The operational volumes of Port of Tallinn group for 2022 Q1:

	Q1 2022	Q1 2021	Change	Change %
Cargo volume by type of cargo (th tonnes)	4 843	5 275	-432	-8.2%
Liquid bulk	1 730	2 068	-337	-16.3%
Ro-ro	1 662	1 542	120	7.8%
Dry bulk	743	1 102	-359	-32.6%
Containers	550	442	108	24.4%
in TEUs	67 828	52 106	15 722	30.2%
General cargo	154	122	32	26.1%
Non-marine	5	0	5	14453.1%


Number of passengers by routes (th)	896	373	524	140.4%
Tallinn-Helsinki	801	334	468	140.3%
Tallinn-Stockholm	53	0	53	100.0%
Muuga-Vuosaari	32	30	2	6.8%
Tallinn-St.Petersburg	0	0	0	-
Cruise (traditional)	0	0	0	-
Other	10	10	0	2.1%


Number of vessel calls by vessel type	1 645	1 678	-33	-2.0%
Cargo vessels	349	359	-10	-2.8%
Passenger vessels (incl. Ro-Pax)	1 296	1 319	-23	-1.7%
Cruise vessels (traditional)	0	0	0	-

Ferries* (Saaremaa and Hiiumaa lines)
Passengers (th)	323	269	54	20.2%
Vehicles (th)	178	158	20	12.6%

Icebreaker Botnica
Charter days	90	90	0	0.0%
Utility rate (%)	100%	100%	0	0.0%