Sovfracht JSC says it will get a subsidy from the federal budget to cover the expenses on cargo transportation to/from the Kaliningrad Region by sea. The Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot) completed the selection procedure on 24 April 2023 and announced Sovfracht as the winner.
Cargo line Express between Saint-Petersburg and Kaliningrad will be serviced by up to 5 ice-class ships intended for general and dry bulk cargo. The line will continue functioning with the subsidies from the federal budget. In 2023, up to 40 thousand tonnes is to be carried monthly.
As IAA PortNews reported earlier, Sovfracht was the only bidder. The financing requested by the company is RUB 979.45 million.
Previously held selection procedures resulted in signing agreements with FSUE Rosmorport, Algoritm Group LLC, Peleng LLC. They will transport cargo to/from Kaliningrad at preferential tariff rates.
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. Anton Alikhanov estimated the demand of seaborne transit links with the exclave at 22 ships.
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.