At EUR 16.5 million, net profit was at the 2022 level and 68% higher than planned. Growth in throughput was recorded in both key segments, with a 32% increase in the car segment with 232.8 thousand TEUs handled, and a moderate 4% increase in the Container Terminal with 277.7 thousand TEUs handled.
The increase in revenue compared to the previous year was mainly due to higher volumes of container stuffing and stripping, and storage services. Net turnover amounted to EUR 80.1 million, an increase of just under EUR 10 million compared to the first three months of last year. All types of costs were also up, contributing to an 18% increase in operating expenses, which were EUR 61 million or EUR 9.5 million higher than in the comparable period last year. This did not, however, have a significant impact on EBIT, which reached EUR 19.6 million in the first quarter, down only 1% compared to the same period last year. The net profit of EUR 16.5 million was 63% higher than planned and on a par with the net result achieved in the first quarter of the previous year, positively impacted by the financial result and lower income tax.
“Despite the forecasts of a gradual cooling of the economy, we still performed well at the Port Koper in the first months of 2023. Financial indicators are comparable to those achieved in the same period of the previous year, and we are also pleased with the continued growth in throughput in both strategic commodity segments. At the Container Terminal, we are still facing an uncertain situation, especially in maritime traffic, but we have nevertheless managed to relieve some of the pressure on capacity utilisation in the first three months and to achieve a 4% growth in throughput. We also had an excellent performance at the Car Terminal, where we achieved a 32% growth in throughput and at the same time exceeded the planned volumes of goods handled,” said Boštjan Napast, President of the Management Board, summarising the successes of the first quarter.
Growth in container and car segment throughput
While the total maritime throughput of 5.7 million tonnes was slightly lower than in the first quarter of last year, we still recorded growth in both strategic commodity groups – containers and cars.
The irregular ship arrivals that marked last year continued in the first three months of this year, but the land part of the logistics chain performed better as a result. At the Container Terminal, we recorded a slightly lower occupancy rate and a faster turnaround in transhipment for the first time in a long time. We handled 277.7 thousand TEUs, up 4% compared to the same period last year. In March, we set a new monthly record for a Container Terminal with 105,744 TEUs handled, breaking the 100,000 TEU mark in a single month for the first time in the port’s history. The Car and Ro-Ro terminal also set a new monthly record with 87,533 vehicles, handling 232.8 thousand vehicles in the first three months of the year, the highest growth rate of 32%. The higher throughput was achieved both in exports, especially to the Middle and Far East, and in imports, where the share of electric vehicles from China is increasing significantly.
Liquid cargoes also grew by 19%, while general cargoes were slightly lower, mainly due to lower volumes of steel products and rubber, which are increasingly handled in containers. The dry bulk segment saw a 15% decrease, especially in soya beans, alumina, phosphates and iron ore.
