On 29 November 2022, the North-West Basin Branch of FSUE Rosmorport started carrying cargo to Great Port of Saint-Petersburg, an optional port on Ust-Luga – Kaliningrad line. Two multifunctional vessels have been chartered for that purpose, Sparta and Sparta II (operator – Oboronlogistics LLC). The purpose is to expand the opportunities for a prompt delivery of cargoes to the Kaliningrad Region, says Rosmorport. Every week, each ship is to make one voyage with the call at Great Port of Saint-Petersburg.
Sparta and Sparta II will be handled at Berths NoNo 82 and 83 of the Baltic cargo area in the port of Kaliningrad (operator – Baltic Stevedoring Company) and at Berth No 60 of Great Port of Saint-Petersburg (operator – Petrolesport JSC).
When operating on Ust-Luga – Kaliningrad line, Sparta and Sparta II carried over 3,000 TEU, 198 ro-ro units and over 1,300 tonnes of metal (pipes and rolled metal).
Sparta started operating in the Baltic Sea in late September 2022. Ro-Ro/Lo-Lo cargo ship Sparta has the following particulars: Ice Class IA, deadweight – 6,786 t; length – 126.5 m, width – 20.2 m, draft 6.65 m; capacity – 641 20-foot containers and 35 Euro trucks.
In late October, multipurpose vessel Sparta II was relocated from Novorossiysk to Baltiysk. The Ro-Ro/Lo-Lo ship can carry transport all types of cargo. The ship’s particulars: length – 121.7 m, width – 18.7 m, deadweight – 8,000 t; draft – 7 m; speed – 11 knots.
Lithuania earlier notified Kaliningrad authorities about the ban on certain goods transit passing by railway through Lithuania to the Kaliningrad region effective from June 18. 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.
As of today, the following ships operate on Ust-Luga – Baltiysk railway ferry line: Ambal, Baltiysk, Marshall Rokossovsky and General Chernyakhovsky. The following ships operate on Kaliningrad-Bronka line: Kholmogory, SMP Severodvinsk, STK-1004, STK-1019, STK-1023, STK-1028 and Volgo-Balt 203.
From October 2022, a new line intended only for containers was launched between the Kaliningrad Region and the mainland of Russia. RZK Constanta operates on the line.
In November 2022, the following ships started operating on the Express line between Saint-Petersburg and the Kaliningrad Region: Mekhanik Yartsev, Mekhanik Kraskovsky and Mekhanik Pyatlin.
Related links:
RF Government to provide RUB 3.88 billion for subsidizing of cargo shipping to/from Kaliningrad Region >>>>
Photos from Rosmorport website
