Belarus to expand its presence in the Klaipeda seaport

Belarus plans to expand its presence in the Klaipeda port, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Lithuania Vladimir Drazhin said as he attended the national universal trade show Euroregion Neman 2013 in Grodno.

According to the diplomat, a growth in investments is directly connected to the expanding presence of Belarus in the Klaipeda seaport. In his words, Belaruskali has bought a third part of the main terminal used for the shipment of potash fertilizers to third countries.

The sides are currently in talks on the acquisition of one more terminal. The move will allow increasing the cargo transshipment and reach higher volumes in cargo turnover. According to Vladimir Drazhin, a total of 13.5 million tonnes of Belarusian cargo was shipped in Klaipeda last year. “If we keep momentum, we will be able to hit 15 million tonnes in a year or two. It will provide us with an opportunity to reach $1 billion in mutual services. In 2012 the figure stood at $640 million,” the diplomat said.