While ocean rates are set in dollars, rail rates are in roubles, and can be cheaper to ship cargo into Russia via Pacific ports and rail it cross country.
Another way is just to rail the freight from the point of origin in Asia, typically China, as rail rates are far less volatile that ocean rates.
For example, ocean rates from Shanghai to St Petersburg currently run to US$3,500 per FEU, up from $1,800 to $1,900 in June 2016, and $2,000 at the beginning of 2017, reported IHS Media.
The Singapore-to-St Petersburg rate is even higher, $3,750 per FEU, compared with $2,930 a year ago, and $3,150 in January, while the rate from Yokohama to St Petersburg is up to between $3,600 and $3,700 per FEU against $3,050 one year ago and $3,340 in January.
Strong rate growth has also been recorded on trades to and from the European Union, with rates between Rotterdam and St Petersburg now at $1,366 compared with $1,030 a year ago and $1,120 at the start of the year.
Rates from southern European ports have shown similar gains, increasing to $2,093 per FEU, compared with $1,850 in June of 2016 and $1,920 at the beginning of the year.
Statistics from the Ministry of Transportation seem to confirm shippers are increasingly moving cargo from Asia via rail, as Asian rail traffic crossing through Russian border crossings rose 81 per cent in the first four months of the year to 75,000 TEU.
Russia's overall container trade is up 14.3 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2017 to 1.9 million TEU, with imports up 16.3 per cent to 796,340 TEU, as exports rose 13 per cent to 780,670 TEU, according to the Russian Association of Sea Ports. Cabotage volumes rose 12 per cent to 258,190 TEU and transshipment rose 16.3 per cent to 21,200 TEU.
Another way is just to rail the freight from the point of origin in Asia, typically China, as rail rates are far less volatile that ocean rates.
For example, ocean rates from Shanghai to St Petersburg currently run to US$3,500 per FEU, up from $1,800 to $1,900 in June 2016, and $2,000 at the beginning of 2017, reported IHS Media.
The Singapore-to-St Petersburg rate is even higher, $3,750 per FEU, compared with $2,930 a year ago, and $3,150 in January, while the rate from Yokohama to St Petersburg is up to between $3,600 and $3,700 per FEU against $3,050 one year ago and $3,340 in January.
Strong rate growth has also been recorded on trades to and from the European Union, with rates between Rotterdam and St Petersburg now at $1,366 compared with $1,030 a year ago and $1,120 at the start of the year.
Rates from southern European ports have shown similar gains, increasing to $2,093 per FEU, compared with $1,850 in June of 2016 and $1,920 at the beginning of the year.
Statistics from the Ministry of Transportation seem to confirm shippers are increasingly moving cargo from Asia via rail, as Asian rail traffic crossing through Russian border crossings rose 81 per cent in the first four months of the year to 75,000 TEU.
Russia's overall container trade is up 14.3 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2017 to 1.9 million TEU, with imports up 16.3 per cent to 796,340 TEU, as exports rose 13 per cent to 780,670 TEU, according to the Russian Association of Sea Ports. Cabotage volumes rose 12 per cent to 258,190 TEU and transshipment rose 16.3 per cent to 21,200 TEU.