Odessa, 10 AUGUST 2016, CONTEXT-Prichernomorie -- In the port of Odessa for 7 months of 2016 compared with the last year increased transshipment of grain cargoes in bulk, ferrous metals and containers, the correspondent of IA «Context-Prichernomorie» reports.

It was reported to the agency today, on August 10, by the press service of the Odessa Sea Port.

According to the press service, the three main cargoes of the port of Odessa — grain cargoes in bulk, ferrous metals and containers, in January-July, has kept positive dynamics of transshipment. Thus, the total for grain cargoes in the reporting period amounted to 4 million 373.4 thousand tons (+132.3 thousand tons compared to January-July 2015.), for metal goods — 3 577.6 thousand tons (+71.1 thousand tons).

This container traffic showed an increase of 30.4% in terms of tonnage (3 million 811.5 thousand tons against 2 million 922.9 thousand tons in the same period of 2015) and 28.4% in terms of unit shipments (269 thousand 475 TEU against 209 thousand 800 TEU).

The next three positions in the nomenclature of goods, which traditionally affect the statistics of cargo handling in the whole port, in January-July showed a negative trend: construction bulk: 163,5 thousand tons (93.9 % over the same period last year); other bulk — 362,6 thousand tons (73,1%); ore in bulk — 13.1 thousand tons (3.4 percent).

The press service stressed that the decline in ore volumes to almost zero is the result of purposeful policy of the Port Authority to refocus the company on the transshipment of non-polluting goods.

As added in the press-service, attention is drawn to the growth and handling of citrus fruits and bananas in the reporting period: + 92.2% to January-July 2015. The trend is almost invisible in the final handling of the data of one of the largest ports in the country, but remarkable in itself as an indicator suggesting the recovery in the purchasing power of the population of Ukraine. In January-July this year through the port of Odessa, the country imported 12.3 thousand tons of citrus and bananas.