Belarus, Cargo, Lithuania, Port, Transport

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 18:25

Lithuanian seaport worried by strikes in Belarus

BC, Vilnius, 17.08.2020.Print version
The Lithuanian seaport of Klaipeda fears it may temporarily lose Belarusian export shipments that make up almost a third of its overall cargo traffic as an increasing number of state-owned enterprises in the neighboring country are joining protests against longtime President Alexander Lukashenko, informed LETA/BNS.

A major port operator may have to temporarily suspend operations in the near future. 

"We are very concerned about the situation," Arturas Drungilas, the port's marketing director, told.

 

"We can't say what impact this may actually have. We can only say that this may and will (affect the port) if exports come to a halt," he added.


Belaruskali is among the enterprises whose workers joined the protests on Monday.


The Belarusian potassium fertilizer producer's exports account for about 98% of all cargoes handled by Klaipeda's Biriu Kroviniu Terminalas (Bulk Cargo Terminal, BKT), a company owned by Klaipeda businessman Igor Udovickij and Belaruskali itself.     

Vidmantas Dambrauskas, the CEO of BKT, told that he did not want to comment on the situation in more detail, but admitted that the terminal would have work for "two to three days" if Belaruskali halted operations.


Tomas Digaitis, a spokesman for Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways), which transports Belarusian fertilizers and oil products from the border with Belarus to Klaipeda, said Belarusian shipments had not yet been affected. 

  

Darius Silenskis, the CEO of Klaipedos Nafta, which handles Belarusian refineries' oil product exports and crude imports, said the situation in the neighboring country was worrying, even though Belarusian products do not make the largest share of cargoes handled by the company. 


"Naturally, it's worrying, (because Belarus) is one of our customers," the CEO told. "It doesn't make up the largest part, but the loss of any customer or a decrease in flows from or to (Belarus) affects our results,"  


According to figures from the port authority, the port handled a total of 14.1 mln tons of Belarusian goods last year, accounting for 30.5% of its overall cargo traffic. 

 






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