‘Problem of Cargo Flow Imbalance in Connection with China against Background of Changes in Geography of International Logistics’ Online Discussion was Held on August 10 at CCTT Secretariat Office

On August 20, the ‘Problem of Cargo Flow Imbalance in Connection with China against Background of Changes in Geography of International Logistics’ online discussion with top experts of the logistics services market co-organised by the International Coordinating Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT), was held on the TransRussia Connect platform.

The webinar was moderated by Mr. Mikhail Goncharov, CCTT Secretary General.

The audience of the event amounted to over 250 representatives of the transport and logistics community. 

The speakers of the discussion were the heads of the major companies in the international logistics services market, analytical centers, banks: RZD Logistics JSC, RZD Business Asset JSC, UTLC ERA JSC, FESCO TG, TransContainer PJSC, Foreign Trade Center under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, VTB PJSC.

In the frame of the online discussion, experts discussed the factors affecting the balancing of cargo flows in east-west, west-east connections, the problem of container shortages, international payment settlements, the impact of the crisis in the Red Sea on the distribution of cargo flows.

In response to negative trends new logistics schemes were presented as possible solutions, including container reloading on the West Siberian Railway, support from RZD OJSC, which helps convince gondola car owners to provide empty equipment, and also provides discounts. The need to put into operation up-to-date terminals that would allow quickly, efficiently, with good capacity and throughput to overload containers, was noted. In addition, diversification and prioritisation of cargo flows were offered as possible effective measures: the development of cargo transportation with destinations of St. Petersburg and the Northern Sea Route, which could fundamentally change the situation; the growing role of the North-South ITC which allowed diversifying commodity flows, was noted: among the new ITC supply chains there were not only Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, but also the countries of the Persian Gulf and Africa. The imbalance of cargo flows between the Russian Federation and the PRC can be resolved with the prioritisation of goods on the RZD OJSC network.

The participants of the event acknowledged the results of the work carried out within the framework of the webinar and noted the importance of continuing the practice of interaction in a similar format for the development of international cooperation and business partnership.