Koper Remains Austria's Most Important Port
Again this year, the Austrian magazine Verkehr has published a list of ports handling Austria’s overseas cargo. With a thirty percent share of total tonnage, the Port of Koper continues to top the listing of the country’s seven most significant ports. In addition, Koper handles most of Austria’s cargo exports.
Austria has traditionally been the most important continental market for the Port of Koper, and with a one-third share of the total business it is equal to the Slovenian market. All of Luka Koper’s terminals handle Austrian cargo, with dry bulk, liquid and container freight accounting for major portion of throughput. Austrian overseas cargo traffic in 2012 via major European ports:
Exports 2012 (tonnes) | Imports 2012 (tonnes) | Total Cargo 2012 | Change 12/11 (as %) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Koper (1) | 1,848,817 | 3,344,716 | 5,193,533 | -7.5 |
2. | Rotterdam (2) | 380,000 | 3,050,000 | 3,430,000 | -7.5 |
3. | Hamburg (3) | 1,751,628 | 1,351,341 | 3,102,969 | +1.6 |
4. | Antwerp (4) | 1,046,039 | 1,019,501 | 2,065,540 | -1.1 |
5. | Constanța (5) | 109,741 | 1,439,701 | 1,549,442 | +2.4 |
6. | Bremerhaven (6) | 1,384,130 | 110,061 | 1,494,191 | +2.9 |
7. | Rijeka (7) | 250,060 | 34,054 | 284,114 | +5 |
Total | 6,770,415 | 10,349,374 | 17,119,789 | -3 |
Source: Verkehr 22/2013
In addition, Luka Koper has also been strengthening its position in other European markets. For several consecutive years, it has been Hungary’s most important port for containers, with 120,000 TEUs handled in 2012. Throughput via Koper is mainly attributable to companies involved in electronics manufacture as well as the vehicle industry where a timely and reliable service is of crucial importance to production. The third largest continental market in which Luka Koper has consistently increased its market share is Slovakia; the local automotive and steel industries are simultaneously major importers and exporters of materials and products, and of cars in particular. Over recent years, Luka Koper has striven hard to increase its share of the German, and particularly the Bavarian market which currently accounts for a mere two percent of total throughput. The company considers that the automotive sector offers huge potentials for Koper, though North-European ports represent strong competition, mainly due to the quality of their rail connections. The German market is one of the reasons for Luka Koper's participation at the Transport & Logistic exhibition currently taking place in Munich; indeed, the company is one of two thousand exhibitors that make this fair the largest such event in Europe. On Thursday 6th June 2013, Luka Koper organised a reception for its partners, at which Management Board President Bojan Brank introduced guests to new projects currently underway. Mr Brank also drew attention to the advantages of the Port of Koper, as well as the excellence of its service and logistics providers. Further proving that the company keeps pace with time, Transport & Logistic 2013 also saw the presentation of a new mobile application aimed at facilitating the tasks of Luka Koper’s clients.