Among the difficulties that the Russian transport system is facing, soon there will also be that of the shortage of containers



Sanctions against Russia adopted in protest against the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow's troops are creating considerable difficulties for the transport system Russian, which is mainly engaged in reorienting flows of goods to the ports of the Russian Far East the impossibility of crossing the western borders. Airports eastern ports which, however, are not able to handle types and volumes of loads that may be addressed to you.

This limitation has been highlighted by the railway group Russian Russian Railways, which urged to upgrade and equip the eastern ports so that they can handle these additional goods. The Deputy General Manager of Russian Railways, Alexei Shilo, said that the company sent proposals in such sense to the Ministry of Transport, as - he specified - to the at the moment these ports of call do not have sufficient capacity to handle trades such as cereals and fertilizers as well as containerized traffic. Problem - he specified Shilo - which needs to be addressed urgently.

Speaking before the Subcommittee on Rail Transport of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the economic union that groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, Shilo announced that, with regard to container traffic, this in the north-west of Russia has halved and is also assisting - said the deputy general manager of Russian Railways - to a redirection of traffic flows to routes alternatives that bypass Russia.

Another problem highlighted by the director of the company Russian intermodal TransContainer, Victor Markov, is the next shortage of containers in Russia, insufficiency of containers that, according to Markov, will be felt starting from June, but with signs that will be perceived already at the end of the next month. During the meeting the director of TransContainer explained that in Russia, to ensure transport, so far there were about 700 thousand containers, of which about the 40% provided by shipping companies, shipping companies which according to an estimate by TransContainer for about 80% will leave the Russian market. For Markov, the shortage of containers will manifest itself in the period June-July with the lack of 100-200 thousand teu, volume which certainly cannot be filled with the production of container in Russia which currently is equal to only 6 thousand teu per year.

A measure to make the arrival of containers from abroad was adopted by the council of the Eurasian Economic Union which ordered the temporary zero customs duties for the import of containers purchased abroad by Russian companies, duty that has so far amounts to 10% of the value of the container. The decision will enter in force next Tuesday and will apply to transactions carried out between 28 March and 30 September of this year.