Imports rose by28%
The number of containers handled in the ports of the Far East in January-August 2023 increased by almost 25% compared to the same period of the previous year and reached 765 thousand units. Imports rose by 28% - to 440 thousand containers, exports - by 16.5%, to 320 thousand, Ruslan Davydov, head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia (FCS), said in his interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
“I think the results will grow by the end of the year. Logistics has changed, and now the goods are flowing via the Far East, which is faster. The total delivery time is 14 days on the average while previously it took 45 days to deliver containers to the central region via Saint Petersburg,” he added.
When speaking about the changes in imports and exports, FCS head noted that the Eastern Polygon “has certainly seen an increase in the share of containers”. Transportation via sea checkpoints increased by 7.5%, via railway ones – by 27%. According to Ruslan Davydov, the structure of transportation in the Far East is as follows: about 78% of the volume is transported by seaborne transport, about 20% by rail transport.
When commenting on the trade with European countries, Ruslan Davydov said that their share in Russian trade was over 50% a decade ago, in 2021 it fell to 36%, in 2022 (when oil and energy supplies were still possible) - to 33% and today it is down to 16%.