Dear Readers,

Last year, we wrote about the continued impact of the pandemic on the Baltic port market. Whereas it seems that at least some negatives of COVID-19 are a thing of the past, even though passenger traffic is still noticeably behind pre-corona levels, another black swan has started ruffling Baltic waters.

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has sent shock waves also through the world of transport & logistics. This year's instalment of the Baltic Yearbook hosts the second update to our War & logistics. The impact of the Russian aggression on Ukraine on transportation article, a work-in-progress piece first published on LinkedIn about a month into the war. Volume-wise, Russia's Baltic seaports topped the regional port chart, owning their position to bulk exports, liquid and dry. Judging from H1 2022 figures, which include double-digit increases in Ust-Luga and Primorsk, the corresponding economic war waged by the West on Russia will take time before it thwarts the latter's exports of hydrocarbons. Supply chain patterns, notably of energy commodities, are being rewritten as you read this. Much has already happened on the general cargo front, with St. Petersburg losing over one-third of its container traffic while Kaliningrad saw more than half of theirs vanish into thin air.

Not seen in recent years, the unprecedented high wave of inflation rubs salt into the wound, squeezing ordinary folk's budgets like an overripe lemon. Climate change hasn't gone anywhere, as evidenced by this summer's scorching heat. On the brighter side, the Baltic transport 2021 highlights summary brings shiploads of positive developments, particularly regarding different decarbonisation efforts, off- and onshore. Though it might sound like getting ahead of ourselves, 2022 will also likely yield plenty of good news for our planet - at least in the Baltic and its nearest vicinity. Till then, please enjoy the newest Baltic Yearbook and all it is renowned for: statistics, figures, insights, reporting, maps, shipping & rail networks, and numerous other data-rich goodies.

We wish you nothing but a fantastic read! Stay afloat, even if we are about to enter very murky waters!

Przemysław Myszka, Editor-in-Chief

As always, a Big Thank You goes to our Partners for kindly supporting our work!

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