TALLINN — Despite the lingering economic crisis in the Baltic states, higher demand for Russian oil products in Western Europe’s recovering economies increased the cargo transit of Estonian ports in 2009.

Port traffic in 2009 increased by 6 percent to 38.5 million metric tons compared to the previous year, when most of the countries struggled in the economic crisis and Estonia was at the bottom of the barrel along with its fellow Baltic states. Loading the transit cargo increased by 13 percent from 2008 and unloading the transit cargo increased by [private_supervisor]39 percent. However, the cargo exported from Estonia decreased by 16 percent and the cargo imported to Estonia reduced by 12 percent, reflecting the country’s decreasing domestic demand.

According to Piret Pukk, leading statistician at Statistics Estonia, most of the cargo transported through Estonian ports were oil products. Coke and refined oil products were 65 percent, 25.1 million tons of the cargo in 2009.

“As coke was not transported through Estonian harbors so much in 2009, then we can say that oil transport grew by 15 percent in a year,” Pukk told Baltic Reports.

Not a long-term answer

While the Russian transit traffic saved dockworkers’ jobs last year, they likely won’t in the future as Russia plans to begin bypassing Estonian ports, as well as Latvian and Lithuanian ports, in three years.

In Sept. 2009 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said that within two to three years the capacity of the Port of Ust-Luga, located near St. Petersburg, would be increased enabling Russian ships to stop using ports in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The Russians have been developing the Ust-Luga port for several years to wean off the use of foreign ports in the Baltic Sea, spending 60 billion rubles on the port since 2005. One of Ust-Luga’s principal cargo will be oil pumped through the new BPS-2 pipeline, currently handled by Estonian ports. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]39 percent. However, the cargo exported from Estonia decreased by 16 percent and the cargo imported to Estonia reduced by 12 percent, reflecting the country’s decreasing domestic demand.

According to Piret Pukk, leading statistician at Statistics Estonia, most of the cargo transported through Estonian ports were oil products. Coke and refined oil products were 65 percent, 25.1 million tons of the cargo in 2009.

“As coke was not transported through Estonian harbors so much in 2009, then we can say that oil transport grew by 15 percent in a year,” Pukk told Baltic Reports.

Not a long-term answer

While the Russian transit traffic saved dockworkers’ jobs last year, they likely won’t in the future as Russia plans to begin bypassing Estonian ports, as well as Latvian and Lithuanian ports, in three years.

In Sept. 2009 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said that within two to three years the capacity of the Port of Ust-Luga, located near St. Petersburg, would be increased enabling Russian ships to stop using ports in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The Russians have been developing the Ust-Luga port for several years to wean off the use of foreign ports in the Baltic Sea, spending 60 billion rubles on the port since 2005. One of Ust-Luga’s principal cargo will be oil pumped through the new BPS-2 pipeline, currently handled by Estonian ports. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]39 percent. However, the cargo exported from Estonia decreased by 16 percent and the cargo imported to Estonia reduced by 12 percent, reflecting the country’s decreasing domestic demand.

According to Piret Pukk, leading statistician at Statistics Estonia, most of the cargo transported through Estonian ports were oil products. Coke and refined oil products were 65 percent, 25.1 million tons of the cargo in 2009.

“As coke was not transported through Estonian harbors so much in 2009, then we can say that oil transport grew by 15 percent in a year,” Pukk told Baltic Reports.

Not a long-term answer

While the Russian transit traffic saved dockworkers’ jobs last year, they likely won’t in the future as Russia plans to begin bypassing Estonian ports, as well as Latvian and Lithuanian ports, in three years.

In Sept. 2009 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said that within two to three years the capacity of the Port of Ust-Luga, located near St. Petersburg, would be increased enabling Russian ships to stop using ports in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The Russians have been developing the Ust-Luga port for several years to wean off the use of foreign ports in the Baltic Sea, spending 60 billion rubles on the port since 2005. One of Ust-Luga’s principal cargo will be oil pumped through the new BPS-2 pipeline, currently handled by Estonian ports. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]39 percent. However, the cargo exported from Estonia decreased by 16 percent and the cargo imported to Estonia reduced by 12 percent, reflecting the country’s decreasing domestic demand.

According to Piret Pukk, leading statistician at Statistics Estonia, most of the cargo transported through Estonian ports were oil products. Coke and refined oil products were 65 percent, 25.1 million tons of the cargo in 2009.

“As coke was not transported through Estonian harbors so much in 2009, then we can say that oil transport grew by 15 percent in a year,” Pukk told Baltic Reports.

Not a long-term answer

While the Russian transit traffic saved dockworkers’ jobs last year, they likely won’t in the future as Russia plans to begin bypassing Estonian ports, as well as Latvian and Lithuanian ports, in three years.

In Sept. 2009 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said that within two to three years the capacity of the Port of Ust-Luga, located near St. Petersburg, would be increased enabling Russian ships to stop using ports in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The Russians have been developing the Ust-Luga port for several years to wean off the use of foreign ports in the Baltic Sea, spending 60 billion rubles on the port since 2005. One of Ust-Luga’s principal cargo will be oil pumped through the new BPS-2 pipeline, currently handled by Estonian ports. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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