The transport market is currently undergoing major changes. This is due to both the economic situation in Russia and other factors. Traditionally, sea and road transport are among the most popular methods of delivering goods to Russia. What is the current situation in the field of sea and road transport and what changes await the participants of this market?
Sea transportation
Delivery to Russia via the Baltic ports has always been in high demand for many reasons. Numerous Baltic ports are constantly developing and offering increasingly high-quality service. The opening of a port hub in the Baltic based on the port of Gdansk opened up wide opportunities for organizing the delivery of goods from all over the world. Today, this is a truly worthy port hub, which has no competitors among the Baltic ports.
Finland is an important transit route for Russian cargo. Finnish ports: Helsinki, Kotka, Turku provide high-level service. They are distinguished by well-developed infrastructure and the presence of large logistics centers directly in the port . Also promising in terms of transit to Russia is the port of Klaipeda (Lithuania) — the largest in container transportation, Tallinn (Estonia) — the closest transit port to Russia. Due to the decrease in cargo flows, all transit ports are experiencing quite serious difficulties. Participants in the cargo transportation market are forced to adjust prices and conditions, and many of them are forced to leave the market altogether.
One of the largest Russian ports, St. Petersburg, always works at the limit of its capabilities, so the consequences of negative trends concern it last of all. But in the current conditions, any competitive advantages are important, so the issues of developing this port and improving the quality of service remain relevant. Experts focus on the issues of land infrastructure, since this is a fairly serious problem for all Baltic ports. In addition, today there is a certain shortage of containers in the Baltic.
Since 2015, environmental requirements have become stricter in the Baltic Sea, namely restrictions on emissions from ship engines. This will inevitably lead to an increase in freight rates and an increase in the overall cost of cargo transportation. Therefore, alternative routes for cargo delivery through southern ports are becoming relevant. For the Baltic ports, especially those specializing in ro-ro transportation, this fact can be a significant blow.
Automobile transportation
The automobile transportation market is also going through difficult times. The decline in cargo flows is very noticeable for transportation companies. In order to stay afloat and wait out the crisis, many of them are operating without profit or even at a loss. Moreover, the costs have only increased. , the cost of a new guarantee is significantly higher than the cost of a TIR, and other expenses have also increased due to Thus the economic situation in the country. Today, according to experts, a fairly large number of carriers have either reoriented themselves to the domestic market or left the business altogether.
In order to stay in business, carriers must offer their clients new, more acceptable logistics schemes and competitive conditions regarding the cost and delivery times. At the same time, there are many intermediaries and scammers on the market who do not comply with the rules and make it difficult for carriers operating within the legal framework. Clients, as a rule, try to find a company that will organize the delivery of cargo at the lowest prices, which is why many of them fall for the bait of scammers or unscrupulous carriers. In this case, there is no need to talk about quality service. Often, the number of intermediaries involved in one shipment reaches 7-8. Each of them takes a fee for their work, not caring about the overall quality of the service and the final result.
The contract carrier differs from the dispatcher-intermediary primarily in that he accepts the cargo from the sender or the previous carrier and personally delivers it to the next carrier or the recipient. When accepting the cargo, the carrier must hand over a receipt, which must be dated and signed by him. In addition, he records his name and address on the second copy of the waybill. Thanks to the latest changes in tax legislation, companies providing real cargo transportation services have received more tangible protection from intermediaries. This will allow them to provide customers with higher quality services, optimize the price-quality ratio and guarantee business transparency.