Cargo transportation by sea (Russian market)

Main article: Freight transportation (Russian market)

Ports in Russia

Main article: Ports in Russia

2025

Reduction of the Russian container transshipment market by 4.9% to 5.35 million TEU

The Russian market for sea transshipment of containers decreased by 4.9% at the end of 2025 and amounted to 5.35 million TEU. The decrease in containerized imports led to a decrease in market volumes with stable turnover of loaded exports. This was reported on January 20, 2026 in the Delo Group of Companies.

In the IV quarter of 2025, the market decline was 9.5% compared to the same period in 2024. The container cargo turnover of the Global Ports marine terminals, which are part of the Delo Group of Companies, decreased by 4.4% in annual terms to 1.1 million TEU. Consolidated sea cargo turnover of non-container cargo for 2025 increased by 1.1% to 6.7 million tons.

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Фото: Freepik

In 2025, the Baltic basin showed an increase of 4.7%. The Azov-Black Sea basin increased volumes by 4.1%. These regions were ahead of the container terminals of the Far East in terms of growth rates, where a fall of 12.9% was recorded. Western regions continue to regain market share.

The shift in cargo flows reflects a change in logistics routes. Baltic ports are recovering from the loss of transit through the Baltic countries. Far Eastern terminals faced a reduction in Chinese imports.

The volume of container transshipment at Global Ports marine terminals in the North-West increased by 13.2% compared to 2024. The holding is ahead of the market in terms of growth rates in the Baltic basin, where the average was 4.7%. Delo Group of Companies noted that the holding is ahead of the market in terms of growth rates.

Success in the region is associated with the development of infrastructure and the involvement of a cargo base. Terminal upgrades have increased capacity. Flexible tariff policies have attracted new customers.

The holding continues to increase the volume of fertilizer transshipment at the terminals of the Baltic basin. At the end of 2025, the growth was 19.8%. The volume of less marginal coal transshipment is consistently reduced. During the same period, the fall reached 46.2%.

Reorienting to high-margin cargo increases the profitability of operations. Fertilizers require specialized storage and processing. Coal is characterized by low added value and high environmental risks.^[1]

Cargo turnover of Russian seaports for the year decreased by 0.4% to 884.5 million tons

The cargo turnover of seaports Russia decreased by 0.4% in 2025 and amounted to 884.5 million tons. In 2024, the figure reached 888 million tons. Against the background of a general decline, the ports of the Far Eastern basin showed an increase of 6.6% to 252.1 million tons. It is reported by portnews with reference to the data Trade Seaport Associations on January 16, 2026.

The volume of dry cargo transshipment amounted to 441.7 million tons with a decrease of 0.2%. The volume of cargo transshipment decreased by 0.5% to 442.8 million tons. For 12 months, 696.6 million tons of export cargo were overloaded with a drop of 0.6%. Imported cargo decreased by 3.9% to 41.2 million tons.

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Фото: Freepik

Coal transshipment grew by 7.8% to 202.9 million tons. It is the largest dry cargo category. Exports of Russian coal Asia in offset the reduction in supplies to. Europe Cargo in containers decreased by 2.7% to 54 million tons. Sanctions have complicated supply chains.

Grain cargoes showed a significant drop of 31.1% to 52.2 million tons. The 2025 harvest was below expectations due to adverse weather conditions. Mineral fertilizers grew by 8% to 45.9 million tons. Ferrous metals increased by 20.8% to 23 million tons. Ore showed an increase of 29.1% to 15.9 million tons.

Crude oil increased 2.8% to 274.9 million tonnes. The reorientation of exports to eastern markets required a change in logistics. Petroleum products decreased by 7.7% to 121.1 million tons. The European embargo on Russian petroleum products has reduced shipments through western ports.

Liquefied gas rose 2.5% to 37.2 million tons. The development of LNG projects ensures an increase in exports. Food bulk cargo decreased by 11.4% to 5.7 million tons. Fat and fat products faced restrictions in foreign markets.

Transit cargo rose 10% to 71.5 million tons. Russia is developing the North-South and East-West corridors for transportation between third countries. International transit generates foreign exchange receipts. Coaster transportation decreased by 5% to 75.2 million tons.

Domestic sea transportation connects remote regions. Northern delivery provides delivery of goods to the Arctic. The reduction in cabotage reflects a decline in economic activity in some regions.^[2]

2024

The volume of cargo transportation by sea in Russia for the year reached 33.2 million tons

In 2024, Russian sea carriers transported 33.2 million tons of cargo. This value coincides with the result of 2023, when the volume also amounted to 33.2 million tons. This is evidenced by the data of the analytical company BusinesStat, released on September 1, 2025.

Over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024, the volume of sea cargo transportation increased by 35%. In 2020, it amounted to 24.7 million tons. In 2021, the figure decreased to 23.4 million tons, which corresponded to a 5% reduction. Already in 2022, transportation reached 27.6 million tons - an increase of 18%. In 2023, the market increased by another 21% and reached the level of 33.2 million tons. In 2024, growth stopped, recording stabilization at the achieved level.

Among the leading market participants, BusinesStat highlights:

• Fesco Integrated Transport LLC;
• Marine Trust LLC;
• PJSC Sovcomflot;
• Dilmas LLC;
• JSC Shipping Company Volga Shipping Company.

The dynamics of recent years is largely due to the change in logistics routes. With the introduction of sanctions restrictions in 2022, large international companies have reduced cooperation with Russian carriers. To maintain stability, some of the goods that were traditionally shipped from the western ports were redirected to the southern and eastern directions. Such a restructuring allowed domestic companies to increase traffic and partially compensate for restrictions.

A significant factor was the development of transportation along the Northern Sea Route. Additional growth was provided by subsidized supplies to the Kaliningrad region, which were carried out in conditions of limited access to foreign routes. These measures contributed to an active increase in cargo traffic in 2022-2023 and ensured the market reached a new level.^[3]

Rating of the largest Russian ports by container turnover

On January 28, 2025, Mortsentr-TEK presented a rating of the largest Russian ports by container turnover for 2024, where the port of Vladivostok took the leading position with a volume of 1.645 million TEU, increasing the figure by 8.3%. Read more here.

A 2.3% reduction in seaport cargo turnover to 886.3 million tons

In 2024, the cargo turnover of seaports Russia decreased by 2.3% compared to 2023 and amounted to 886.3 million tons. The main drop was recorded in the segment of coal and petroleum products. These data were published Association of Commercial Seaports in January 2025.

According to the Association, the volume of transshipment of dry cargo goods decreased by 1.9% to 441.1 million tons. The largest reduction was recorded for coal, the shipment of which fell by 9.8% and amounted to 188.1 million tons. Negative dynamics was also noted in the segment of ferrous metals - 19 million tons (-10.8%) and cargo on ferries - 8 million tons (-0.5%). At the same time, an increase in grain transshipment (+ 6% to 74.8 million tons), mineral fertilizers (+ 15.7% to 42.5 million tons) and ore (+ 26.3% to 12.3 million tons) was recorded. Container cargo transshipment increased by 10.8% to 55.5 million tons.

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Фото: Freepik

The volume of transshipment of bulk cargo in 2024 decreased by 2.6%, amounting to 445.2 million tons. In particular, transshipment of crude oil decreased by 1.7% to 267.5 million tons, and petroleum products - by 7.1%, to 131.1 million tons. The segment of liquefied natural gas recorded an increase of 5.9% to 36.3 million tons, and transshipment of food cargo increased by 14% to 6.4 million tons.

Export shipments through the seaports of Russia decreased by 1.9% to 699.7 million tons, and transit cargo - by 0.5% to 64.9 million tons. At the same time, import supplies increased by 11%, reaching 42.9 million tons. Cabotage transportation decreased by 12.1% to 78.7 million tons.

Among the sea basins, a decrease in cargo turnover was shown by the Arctic region - by 5.2% to 92.9 million tons. In particular, the shipment of dry cargo here decreased by 15.8% to 26.1 million tons.

Baltic ports showed a slight increase in cargo turnover - by 0.6% to 273 million tons, including transshipment of dry goods increased by 6.7%, reaching 123.8 million tons. In St. Petersburg, the growth was 6.9% (52 million tons).

The ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin reduced cargo turnover by 5.4% to 275.7 million tons. Novorossiysk recorded an increase of 2.1% to 164.8 million tons, but Taman lost 30.2%, falling to 28.3 million tons, and Tuapse - 13.4% (21.4 million tons).

The Far Eastern basin showed a drop of 2.3%, to 236.5 million tons. The largest reduction was recorded in the port of Vanino - by 16.2% to 29.3 million tons.

In the Caspian region, an increase of 4.9% to 8.1 million tons was recorded, while dry cargo increased by 10.2% to 5.5 million tons, and bulk cargo decreased by 5.9% to 2.6 million tons^[4]

2023

Increase in freight turnover by 5% to 883.8 million tons

According to the results of 2023, the cargo turnover of Russian seaports increased by 5% compared to a year ago and reached 883.8 million tons. Such data in Rosmorrechflot led January 16, 2024.

According to TASS, citing materials from the department, the volume of dry cargo transshipment in 2023 increased by 10.4% and amounted to 446.9 million tons. The highest growth rates in the subgroup were shown by grain, chemical and mineral fertilizers, scrap metal, cargo on ferries, in containers and rolled (ro-ro) cargo. The indicator of transshipment of bulk goods practically did not change, amounting to 436.9 million tons. The highest increase in this subgroup was shown by bulk chemical and food cargoes.

According to the results of 2023, the cargo turnover of Russian seaports increased by 5% compared to a year ago and reached 883.8 million tons

The Azov-Black Sea basin remains the leader in terms of indicators. Cargo turnover of its seaports increased by 10.4%, to 291.4 million tons. The volume of dry cargo transshipment increased by 16.1%, to 140.8 million tons, bulk cargo - by 5.6%, to 150.6 million tons.

The cargo turnover of the seaports of the Arctic basin decreased by 0.7%, to 97.9 million tons. The volume of dry cargo transshipment there increased by 5.2%, to 31.0 million tons, bulk cargo - decreased by 3.2%, to 66.9 million tons.

The cargo turnover of the Baltic basin seaports increased by 1.3%, to 248.6 million tons. The volume of dry cargo transshipment increased by 16.6%, to 113.1 million tons, bulk cargo - decreased by 8.8%, to 135.5 million tons.

The cargo turnover of the Caspian basin seaports increased by 29.7%, to 7.8 million tons. Transshipment of dry cargo accounted for 5 million tons (an increase of 1.6 times), bulk cargo - 2.8 million tons (a decrease of 2.3%).

The cargo turnover of the seaports of the Far Eastern basin increased by 4.5%, to 238.1 million tons. The volume of dry cargo transshipment increased by 1.9%, to 157 million tons, bulk cargo - by 9.8%, to 81.1 million tons.^[5]

Tariffs for the delivery of goods from South Africa to the Russian Federation are 5-6 times higher than the norm due to the blockade of the country by large sea carriers

The global drop in tariffs for container transportation did not affect. Russia For delivery from the countries of Southeast Asia to Europe and America by March 2023, rates decreased compared to January-March 2022 to 80%. For example, a cargo from Shanghai Hamburg to can be shipped at a price of 1,500 per dollars 40-foot container. But Russia has different realities.

The departure of the five largest sea lines after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine led to a limited supply on the transportation market from the SEA countries to the Russian Federation. In March 2023, units of small maritime companies with low-tonnage vessels operate, which hardly close the increased needs for delivery from the ports of China and other Asian countries to the Far East. Tariffs at this time are in the region of 6-8 thousand dollars per container, which is on average 5 times higher than the dock level. Demand remains consistently high, and with limited supply, there is no trend towards their decline yet.

2013: Increase in the number of Russian-controlled vessels to 1,441

At the beginning of 2013, the total number of vessels controlled by Russia increased to 1,441 vessels with a total tonnage of more than 20 million tons. Of these, 568 ships were included in the Russian International Register, which is 60% higher than at the beginning of 2012. In particular, by the end of 2012, the marine fleet was replenished with 41 new transport vessels with a total deadweight of more than 1 million tons, in 2013 another 22 units of the fleet are expected to be commissioned.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the cargo turnover of Russian seaports over the past years has shown steady growth, so if at the end of 2011 the volume of cargo transshipment in seaports increased by 1.8%, at the end of 2012 - by almost 6%, amounting to 567.1 million tons. According to the results of 9 months of 2013, the indicator showed an increase of another 3.8% compared to the same period in 2012 and amounted to 437.7 million tons. According to Rosmorrechflot, the growth of cargo transshipment is primarily ensured by the development of the port infrastructure: according to the results of 2012, the capacity increase of Russian seaports amounted to 9% or 72% of million tons. As a result, as of the beginning of 2013, there are 63 seaports in Russia with a total capacity of 863 million tons per year.

Note that the increase in transshipment indicators is characteristic of both dry cargo, the share of which in the total volume is more than 40%, and bulk cargo, the share of which is about 55-60%. At the same time, the main direction is export, which accounts for almost 80% of cargo turnover. Among the basins, the leading positions are occupied by the Baltic, Azov-Black Sea and Far Eastern. The largest port centers are Novorossiysk, St. Petersburg, Tuapse and Vostochny.

According to the Government's plans, by 2016-2018. the total volume of transshipment by seaports will be about 740 million tons, and by 2020 - 879 million tons.

2012: Transportation volume by sea amounted to 19.24 million

According to the results of 2012, the volume of transportation by sea amounted to 19.24 million tons, and this is only 57.3% of the 2011 level. Note that in this case we are talking about the transportation of goods by ships under the Russian flag. The reason for such a sharp decrease in the indicator was primarily a change in the statistical accounting methodology - since last year, transportation by mixed navigation vessels "river-sea" refers to transportation on inland waterways. However, along with this, a number of other factors that influenced the market can be distinguished, in particular, the unfavorable situation in the global freight market as a whole, the growth of transportation by ships under the "flag of convenience," as well as a decrease in the number of contracts for the transportation of goods by ships under the Russian flag (data from DISCOVERY Research Group).

Notes