Moscow draws new services

FESCO Transportation Group’s development of container transportation services is moving full speed ahead. The company has organized the importing of containers from Southeast and East Asian countries to Moscow, as well as transportation from the capital to Omsk followed by subsequent shipment to Vladivostok.

New inroads

In late September, FESCO launched a multimodal container service with the aim of diversifying its foreign trade routes. In the outset, goods will be shipped from South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam to the Chinese port of Dalian. Transportation within China, meanwhile, will be carried out by FESCO's partner, the Chinese state carrier Sinotrans, who will take the containers by road to the Shenyang station, at which point they will be placed on the fitting platforms. The goods will be delivered to Russia via the Zabaykalsk border crossing, then transported by railroad to the Vorsino station in the Moscow region.

"This route is cheaper than the alternative option through Vladivostok and St. Petersburg and is comparable in cost to Novorossiysk. On top of that, it’s faster than the services through the Baltic and Black Seas," Alexander Priskoka, Deputy Commercial Director for Business Development in Asian countries at FESCO Integrated Transport, said. 

The estimated duration of the journey is about 30-35 days, depending on the port of embarkment in Asia. The goods transported will be mainly car parts; household appliances; tires; and food products, including rice, coffee, and tea; as well as apparel; footwear; fabrics; and other consumer goods. As for bulk or dangerous shipment, transportation of these types of goods is not yet available on the trip. 

The first batch of containers, filled with car tires, was shipped on October 1st from the Laem Chabang port in Thailand.

"For now, the service is only available for imports. To ensure container equilibrium, we will organize them to be exported as well via the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port (a FESCO Group asset)," Alexander Priskoka announced.

Out to Western Siberia and on

FESCO is expanding its range of both domestic and international transportation services. In early October, the company delivered its first container train from Moscow to Omsk, from Silikatnaya station to Kombinatskaya station.

Leading expert at Finam Management Dmitry Baranov believes freight transportation to Omsk to be a strategic operation owing to the city's proximity to Kazakhstan and other CIS countries, which allows goods to be quickly reformed and shipped to those countries. On top of that, the city has a well-developed infrastructure, which eliminates transportation issues as it is served by multiple railways, allowing offering a breadth of routes in the event that some of them become congested.

The trip to the capital of Western Siberia is estimated to take about four days. The first train, carrying 68 FEUs (40-foot equivalent units) and 17 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), departed on October 3rd. The monthly volume of transportation is planned to reach 500 FEUs. Furthermore, the service includes the option of doorstep delivery by road transport, as well as forwarding services.

"The aforementioned delivery speed and planned volume are likely to only the beginning. As demand rises and logistics are optimized, the delivery time may be shortened and the cargo volumes may grow," Dmitry Baranov maintains. 

At Kombinatskaya station, the train will be unloaded and reloaded with new cargo. "There is currently no planned return trip loading organized to Moscow. Loaded containers from Omsk will be sent to Vladivostok and then onward to other destinations," Artemiy Gorlachev, Head of Transportation Project Development Department at FIT, noted. 

Alexander Solyanik