Key Operating Results
Rail Container Transportation
The volume of containers transported by the Company’s shipping assets in 2018 went up by 6.1% year-on-year and totalled 1,886 thousand TEUs mainly due to higher levels of imports and exports.
| Item | 2018 | 2017 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘000 TEU | % | |||
| Domestic traffic | 886.6 | 903.7 | (17.2) | (1.9) |
| Export | 476.7 | 432.1 | +44.6 | +10.3 |
| Import | 355.5 | 315.5 | +40.0 | +12.7 |
| Transit | 166.7 | 126.0 | +40.7 | +32.3 |
| All routes | 1,885.5 | 1,777.3 | +108.1 | +6.1 |
The container volume transported by TransContainer’s rolling stock in 2018 grew by 8.4% to 1,806 thousand TEUs from 1,665 thousand TEUs in a similar period in 2017. The volume of the Company’s revenue-generating transportation in 2018 went up by 8.4% year-on-year and reached 1,544 thousand TEUs. The volume transported in 2018 by rolling stock operated by the Company totalled 1,958 thousand TEUs, + 4.6% year-on-year.
Container Terminal Handling
By the end of 2018, the volume of container terminal handling reduced by 1.1% year-on-year and amounted to 1,279 thousand TEUs from 1,294 thousand TEUs in 2017.
A lag in the growth of the Company’s terminal handling volume behind the overall container market performance is attributable to a major share of export and transit transportation volumes, including those shipped through Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Moreover, the Company’s terminal handling volumes were affected by the shutdown of two terminals in the Moscow region in 2H 2017 related to the Moscow Government’s plans to reduce the number of terminals in the city centre.
Production Efficiency Indicators
The empty run ratio of containers in 2018 decreased from 19.2 to 17.6%. The empty run ratio of flatcars reduced from 3.9 to 3.0% due to the fleet management optimisation and favourable market conditions.
| Item | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Container turnover (days) | 32.5 | 37.8 |
| Flatcar turnover (days) | 11.9 | 12.1 |
| Empty run ratio The empty run ratio is calculated as the average distance of a container empty run divided by the total average distance of container runs (both loaded and empty). of containers (%) | 17.6 | 19.2 |
| Empty run ratio The empty run ratio is calculated as the average distance of a flatcar empty run divided by the total average distance of flatcar runs (both loaded and empty). of flatcars (%) | 3.0 | 3.9 |
By the end of 2018, the flatcar turnover declined from 12.1 days in 2017 to 11.9 days in the reporting period, while the container turnover increased from 37.8 to 32.5 days through the Company’s activities on fleet management optimisation.