Luka recorded a 16% rise in the transshipment in container units to 3.346 million tonnes, while a rise in liquid cargo and cars followed at 9% and 5%, respectively.

Liquid cargo transshipment reached 1.36 million tonnes and that of cars 359,000 tonnes or a little over 246,000 cars, data released by Luka Koper on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange on Thursday shows.

The transshipment of general cargo increased by 14% to 912,000 tonnes, but the transshipment of dry bulk cargo fell by 8% to 3.29 million tonnes.

Consequently, sales revenue in the same period also increased, by 9% to EUR 76.36 million, unaudited results show.

The greatest jump in revenue was recorded in container units, that of 29% to EUR 24m.

CEO Dragomir Matić hailed the results, saying the company did not only surpass last year's results but also its ambitious business plans.

Despite the rapid changeability of the global shipping market, he expects this tempo "to continue until the end of the year".

Matić also pointed to the ongoing deepening of the seabed at the port to 14 metres, which Dutch company Van Oord launched last Friday.

Part of a project to increase the port's capacity, the deeper seabed should enable container ships to dock there without having to unload cargo in a different port beforehand.

The Dutch are expected to complete their works in the second half of August, so Luka should be ready for bigger cargo ships, which are expected this autumn.