Increase in Cargo and Passenger Traffic on Rivers in the First Half of the Year

The Port Governance Agency recorded 7.4 million tons of cargo transshipped on Serbian rivers by July 1st this year, marking a 0.6 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Gravel, sand, and stone aggregates were the most frequently transshipped types of cargo, accounting for 36 percent of the total transshipment. Oil and oil products ranked second with 17.6 percent, while grains held third place with 12.6 percent. Other bulk cargoes, including mineral fertilizers and industrial salt, comprised 10 percent, and ores followed with nine percent.

The most significant growth in transshipment was noted in grains, with 939,000 tons transshipped in the first half of the year, nearly eight times more than in the same period last year. Additionally, oil transshipment increased by 28 percent, and gravel, sand, and stone aggregates by 21 percent. In contrast, coal transshipment decreased by 67 percent compared to the first six months of 2023.

In international passenger traffic, the Agency recorded 631 port calls and 88,525 passengers in the first half of the year. Port calls increased by 6.6 percent, while the number of passengers rose by 16.3 percent compared to the same period in the previous year's nautical season.

Belgrade's terminal saw 249 dockings, Novi Sad recorded 176, Donji Milanovac had 111, Golubac 72, and Zemun 13. Kladovo's terminal recorded four dockings during this year's cruising season so far. The highest number of passengers disembarked in the capital, with 35,018 passengers.

Projections for this year's nautical season suggest a five percent increase in cruise ship dockings and a 20 percent increase in the number of passengers by the end of the year compared to 2023. This would result in 1,470 cruise ship dockings and over 200,000 tourists in Serbia.