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Apr 27, 2023

Sovfracht resumes transportation of sanctioned cargo to the Kaliningrad Region

The cargo line is being serviced by two vessels on a regular basis Sovfracht

The cargo line is being serviced by two vessels on a regular basis

Sovfracht JSC says it has resumed cargo transportation to/from the Kaliningrad Region by sea under with subsidy from the federal budget to cover the expenses amid the pressure of sanctions. Two vessels will operate regularly on sealine Express with weekly calls to Great Port of Saint-Petersburg (Sea Fish Port Terminal LLC) and Kaliningrad (Commercial Seaport of Kaliningrad JSC).

On 2 June 2023, M/V Petrotrans-5902 made its first voyage from Saint-Petersburg to Kaliningrad to deliver 3.6 thousand tonnes of cement. The second vessel is being loaded and prepared for the voyage to Kaliningrad.

In summer, Lithuania notified Kaliningrad authorities about the ban on certain goods transit passing by railway through Lithuania to the Kaliningrad Region. Although later EU allowed Russia to transit some sanctioned goods by rail transport to its exclave via the Europe, Kaliningrad Region Governor Anton Alikhanov used to declare readiness to strengthen Baltiysk – Ust-Luga ferry line.

In September 2022, RF Government approved allocation of RUB 1.37 billion from the Reserve Fund to the Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot) for subsidizing of cargo transportation to the Kaliningrad Region by the end of the year. In 2023, Rosmorrechflot is to get RUB 3.8 billion got that purpose.

In April 2023, Sovfracht JSC was selected as a company to get a subsidy from the federal budget to cover the expenses on cargo transportation to/from the Kaliningrad Region by sea. The company said that cargo line Express would be serviced by up to 5 ice-class ships intended for general and dry bulk cargo with up to 40 thousand tonnes to be carried monthly in 2023.

Photos from the website of Sovfracht JSC

Sovfracht to carry up to 40 thousand tonnes of cargo per month on Saint-Petersburg – Kaliningrad line

Sea links of Kaliningrad Region with mainland Russia