Main Cargoes

Modern combi ferries are used in the regular ferry services to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Latvia transporting 2.1 million passengers (-300,000) and 10.2 million tonnes of cargo (-25 %) in 2009.

The ferry terminal has an area of over 200,000 m² with four landing stages, two of which are equipped to handle railroad cars. With these facilities, Rostock has everything it needs to continue developing its solid position as a ferry hub for the Baltic Sea.

The handling of ro-ro cargo, strongly dominated by the import of paper from Finland, recorded a cargo volume of 1.5 million tonnes (-34 %) in 2009. A total of 337,500 tonnes of paper represent 22 percent of the entire handled ro-ro result.

This success is due to the logistical concept of the Rostock UPM office as well as the high level of quality of the company Papier-, Lager- und Umschlaggesellschaft (PLU).

UPM Kymmene Rostock imports paper from Finland and exports paper to the USA and England.

With its 3 ro-ro berths located adjacent to the ferry terminal, the port of Rostock has excellent conditions for accommodating ro-ro traffic in regular service or tramp shipping.

The combined cargo terminal sees 25 block trains to and from various destinations in Germany and Europe weekly. The frequency of transports to and from Hamburg/Duisburg increased from three to six block trains per week. Twelve block trains per week are in service to and from Verona (Italy), and five per week to and from Basel (Switzerland). In June 2008 a new connection to Austria was launched. Twice per week shuttle trains operate between Rostock and Wels.

In 2009 a total of 63,442 cargo units with a total tonnage of 1.3 million tonnes were moved at the port’s terminal for combined cargo.This represents a decrease of 8 percent compared to the 2008’s figures.

A daily volume of up to 20,000 tonnes of coal can be discharged at berths 23 and 24. Overhead cranes are used at berth 22 for the unloading of limestone, gravel chippings and sea gravel. The handling of such materials is centred around the coal terminal with a capacity of 240,000 tonnes of hard coal. Conveyor belts supply the neighbouring 500 MW hard coal fired power plant as well as additional recipients.

At berth 21, a crane with an hourly output of up to 700 tonnes as well as a preparation plant for see gravel and a cement terminal are available. The environmentally-sound discharging of cement tankers occurs by means of a pipeline.

The fertiliser quay is equipped with a loading facility (hourly output of 1,000 tonnes), railway car unloading station, conveyor belt system and storage depot with a capacity of 55,000 tonnes. The main commodity here is calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) which is produced the nearby fertiliser plant.

Silos with a capacity of 436,000 tonnes as well as facilities for loading and unloading ships, trucks and railway cars ensure skilled handling and fast throughput of goods. A ship loading facility with an hourly output of up to 1,000 tonnes is available for grain export. Vessels are discharged via two unloading facilities with a capacity of up to 350 tonnes per hour. A system of conveyor belts ensures the efficient moving of grain from the silos to the ships.

One of the most modern malt houses in Europe is located adjacent to the grain harbour. It has its own silo with a capacity of 10,000 tonnes and is connected with the silo facility at the port thus ensuring the rapid intake of brewer’s barley as well as an equally rapid output of goods.

With a capacity of 1,600 tonnes of processed canola seed per day the largest oil mill in Germany put into operation in August 2006. The investment cost totalled nearly 14 million Euros. The oil mill comprises the extraction facility, seed storage, seed processing plant, product storage and service department.

The port has an open storage capacity of 420,000 m² as well as a covered storage capacity of 55,000 m² available for bulk solids.

The greatest decrease in 2009 was recorded in the general cargo segment, down 35 percent to 411,000 tonnes compared to 2008´s figures. Particularly the handling of gypsum plaster boards and timber decreased, which was largely attributable to the drastic cutbacks in the construction industry in the USA and Great Britain, as well as the shifting of the timber handling to other port facilities in Rostock. In contrast, increases were exhibited in the handling of large pipes, cranes, and wind energy generators, primarily driven by local production.

Pier II is the heart of general cargo handling.

Three sheds each with a length of 360 m and possessing track and road connections are available for handling and storage of gypsum plasterboard, metals and non-iron metals. Cranes with a load capacity of up to 100 tonnes guarantee a rapid throughput of general cargo, windmill-powered plants and other project cargo. Berths 44/45 with accompanying open areas are available for the handling and processing of scrap.

In total, the Rostock seaport has 600,000 m² open storage as well as 120,000 m² covered storage available for general cargo goods.

The oil harbour possesses a tank store with a capacity of 700,000 cubic meters available for the storage and throughput of mineral oils such as heating oil, diesel and motor fuel. Crude oil, liquid fertiliser and other liquids are handled here as well.

The berths at the oil harbour can accommodate 6 tankers with up to 100,000 tonnes and has a handling capacity of up to 6,000 tonnes per hour. The handling of liquids occurs by means of tank car, pipelines (Schwedt, Böhlen) and by tank truck.

A neutral service company, Großtanklager Ölhafen Rostock GmbH, is the operator of the oil harbour and provides services for all mineral oil companies using the Port of Rostock.

The oil harbour is also the location of a biodiesel plant with an annual capacity of 150,000 tonnes of biodiesel and 18,000 tonnes of glycerine.

In 2009 the handling of liquid cargoes showed an decrease of 14 percent over 2008’s figures to a total of 4.0 million tonnes.