The first cargo vessel carrying timber belonging to Westwood Group OU departed for the Port of Lanshan, China, from the general cargo terminal of Estonia’s Transiidikeskus AS last weekend.
The vessel carrying the shipment of timber is the general cargo ship Kraszewski, which is the largest timber-carrying ship yet to enter Muuga Harbor, according to Transiidikeskus. This is the first timber batch of this size – 30,000 tons – to depart for China by sea.
Vladimir Popov, chairman of the board at Transiidikeskus, said that lengthy preliminary negotiations with Chinese partners took place ahead of the dispatch of the first cargo vessel to China.
“We organized a series of meetings at our terminal,” he said. “Our partners thoroughly investigated the technical possibilities and experience of our terminal; they had a special interest in our innovative solutions.”
Based on indicators planned for this year, this project will allow for a significant increase in the terminal’s goods revenue.
“Thanks to Westwood Group OU’s cooperation with Chinese partners, the annual goods revenue of our general goods terminal should increase by 180,000 tons,” Popov noted. “This is an important number if we take into account that the total volume of the planned goods revenu for 2017 is approximately one million tons.”
The next ship, carrying another 30,000 tons of timber, is scheduled to depart for China at the end of this year. In the future, such shipments are expected to depart from Estonia for China approximately every two months.
The maximum carrying capacity of the 200-meter Kraszewski is 30,300 tons. (ERR/Business World Magazine)