OMG embarks on Vyborg redevelopment

According to Keith Parker, managing director of OMG’s London office: “Our plan is to develop Vyborg port into a container terminal, establishing it as a strategic logistics hub for the Baltic. Western Port will specialise in bulk cargo – present plans are for it to handle 14 vessels, carrying 50,000 cubic metres of timber per month.”

Currently Vyborg has 13 berths with a total loading length of 1,000 m at depths of 7.1 m to 9.8 m. It handles passenger traffic and a wide range of general and bulk cargo, including containers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood, grain and coal. With the expansion of the Russian economy, cargo turnover is growing rapidly, rising by 40% to 1.25m tonnes in 2006.

OMG’s development of Vyborg Port runs alongside its US$36m expansion of capacity at the Onega Sea Port Cargo terminal in St Petersburg, which is now in its second phase. Onega is a dedicated ro-ro facility which aims to facilitate the importation of 120,000–150,000 cars annually, reducing Russia’s dependence on imports via Finland and the Baltic States. Russian car imports were up by 67% in the first six months of 2007.