TOP-10 of the Russian seaports
ranking 02/11/2020
Compared to the corresponding period of 2019, the cargo turnover of the Russian seaports for January-September 2020 has reduced by 2,7% and amounted to 611,5 million tons. Under the global economic crisis and decline in global trade, the volume of cargo transshipment has decreased for the first time in 24 years.
Since 2000, the cargo turnover of the Russian seaports has increased 4 times, and the highest figure of 840,3 million tons was recorded last year (see Picture 1). For reference, the peak of cargo turnover of all the USSR ports was recorded in 1989 and amounted to 407 million tons.
Picture 1. Dynamics of the cargo turnover of the Russian seaports, million tonsCurrently, there are 67 seaports in Russia. Novorossiysk Commercial Seaport is the largest domestic harbor with 156,8 million tons of the cargo turnover (see Table 1). The second one is Ust-Luga (Leningrad region) seaport handling over 100 million tons of cargo. All Russian goods servicing in the seaports of the Baltic States are forwarded to this port. Recently, the government of the Republic of Belarus declared about plans on forwarding all cargoes from Lithuanian and Latvian seaports to Ust-Luga.
For reference: the largest European seaport – Rotterdam (the Netherlands) – served 469 million tons of cargo in 2018. In 2017, China's Ningbo-Zhoushan, the largest port in the world, handled 1 077 million tons of cargo.
| Rank | Port | Cargo turnover in 2019, million tons | Share, % | Basin |
| 1 | Novorossiysk | 156,8 | 18,7% | Azov-Black Sea |
| 2 | Ust-Luga | 103,9 | 12,4% | Baltic |
| 3 | Vostochniy | 73,5 | 8,7% | Far Eastern |
| 4 | Murmansk | 61,9 | 7,4% | Arctic |
| 5 | Primorsk | 61,0 | 7,3% | Baltic |
| 6 | Big Port of Saint Petersburg | 59,8 | 7,1% | Baltic |
| 7 | Vanino | 31,4 | 3,7% | Far Eastern |
| 8 | Sabetta | 27,7 | 3,3% | Arctic |
| 9 | Nakhodka | 25,6 | 3,0% | Far Eastern |
| 10 | Tuapse | 25,2 | 3,0% | Azov-Black Sea |
| TOP-10 of seaports | 626,8 | 74,6% | - | |
| Total | 840,3 | 100 | - | |
Source: the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, Association of Commercial Seaports; analysis by Credinform
654 million tons or 77,8%, i.e. the majority of cargoes handled in the seaports of Russia is exported (see Picture 2).
Picture 2. The structure of the cargo traffic in the seaports of Russia in 2019, million tonsThe following handled goods prevail in the Russian seaports: crude oil – 276 million tons, coal – 176 million tons, petroleum products (gasoline, oils, fuel oil, etc.) – 150 million tons, breakbulk cargo – 57 million tons (see Picture 3).
Picture 3. The structure of cargoes handled in the seaports of Russia in 2019, million tons