August 28 - Rostock Port has reported a double-digit increase in cargo volumes for the first half of 2015, with 13.1 million tonnes of goods handled at the German gateway.

The overall half year result represents a 10 percent year-on-year rise, with 7.4 million tonnes of cargo attributed to wheeled cargo from ferry and ro-ro traffic - an increase of 13 percent compared with the same period last year.

Overall the gateway handled 380,000 tonnes of general cargo, which is an increase of 170,000 tonnes compared with the first half of 2014. Rostock Port put this growth down to an increase in the handling of sheet metal, slabs, paper and wind power plant equipment.

"This makes Rostock one of the strongest growing German ports," said Rostock Port Development Company managing director Gernot Tesch. "In the space of two years, cargo handling has gone up by 25 percent and is now back to pre-crisis levels. This growth is driven by ferry and ro-ro as well as dry bulk goods."

In order to support increased traffic volume and handling activities in the ro-ro division, the port has created an additional pontoon landing stage at berth 61.

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