Container traffic volume in June hit record monthly high in the last 15 years
Container market in Russia reached 3.8 million TEUs at the end of the first half of 2026, which is a 7.1-percent gain from the same period a year earlier, a recent analytical review of Delo Group showed.
Container traffic volumes in January through June, 2026 slightly exceeded the record-breaking 2024, reaching a 15-year high of 668,000 TEUs in June, a 19-percent increase compared to the same month in 2025.
Imports were the main contributor to Russia's container market growth in the first six months of the year. The Far Eastern ports of the country handled 621,000 TEUs of imports (up 38% year-on-year). Goods imported through Kaliningrad ports in the first half soared 100% year-on-year to 37,000 TEUs, and 361,000 TEUs were imported through land border crossings with Asian countries (+25%).
The development of coastal services on the St. Petersburg-Kaliningrad route was an additional factor, reaching 108,000 TEUs (+71%). Transit cargo shipments through Russia continued to grow, reaching 486,000 TEUs (+13%), the market review showed.
Container exports reached 992,000 TEUs, which is flat on the last year volume, while domestic shipments declined by 2.7%, to 593,000 TEUs.
Delo Group's methodology for calculating the Russian container market takes into account loaded container volume in foreign trade traffic through Russian ports and land border crossings, as well as transit and domestic rail shipments.
Experts of the FESCO transportation group (part of Rosatom) has previously estimated in their review that the volume of Russia’s container market in January-June 2026 reached 3.47 million TEUs (+6% year-on-year).