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Transport flows to Russia will continue via Finland
27/04/2009
The transit cargo transport to Russia will continue to be conducted through the Finnish ports thanks to their efficiency and safety, according to Eduard Musienko, General Director of the Eurosib Sbp Transportation Systems, which is a partner of VR Cargo. Musienko expressed his views at TranRussia, a major trade fair held in Moscow, where VR Cargo signed a cooperation agreement with Eurosib. The agreement continues the cooperation that has already lasted for 15 years.
“Although we have bigger posts in Ust-Luga and St Petersburg, their quality will not reach the level of the Finnish ports and this ensures that transport flows will continue via Finland. The Russian ports have been promising to improve their level of quality for ten years already, but they still cannot compete with the Finnish ports,” he said.
“We can’t do anything if political decisions are made about the use of the ports, but in terms of business sense the best route goes via Finland,” he said.
The Finnish ports were well represented at the trade fair and included all the biggest ports located in the Gulf of Finland, as well as many of the freight companies operating in them.
Musienko believes that there will be more need for container transport despite the global economic crisis. Among other things, he expects salvation from the transport of construction materials to the Sochi Olympics.
Musienko also had a strong opinion about the timber taxes set by Russia, not just from the perspective of the transport industry but also on behalf of the forestry industry. “The effect of the timber tax has been dramatic. They were not even needed for securing the Russian forestry industry,” he mused.
Eurosib was formed in 1992 and is among the ten largest private railway companies in Russia. Last year the company transported 19 million tons of cargo. The company has seven engines and 11,700 carriages of different types.
Source: Kauppalehti
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