Global sanctions on Russia have cumbered the nation’s container flow as major shipping lines have withdrawn from the country.
According to the Association of Sea Trade Ports (ASOP), the container throughput in Russian ports during the first quarter of 2022 plunged by 5.4 per cent year-on-year, totalling 1.71 million TEU.
Exports have registered a decrease by 3.4 per cent to 720,700 TEU, while imports suffered a stronger blow and plummeted by 9.8 per cent to 691,000 TEU.
Road transit dropped by over a half from 59,600 TEU to 22,600 TEU.
The handling of empty containers rose by 23.2 per cent to 447,500 TEU.
ASOP has reported that the Baltic Basin was the most impacted region with throughput falling by almost 30 per cent.
This quarterly decline comes after major shipping lines – including Maersk – halted operations in Russia and Belarus as the invasion of Ukraine has rolled on.
The effects of the Russia-Ukraine war have been felt globally as well, leading to fluctuations in container rates and bottlenecks across supply chains.
Last month, US President Joe Biden banned all Russian-affiliated vessels from accessing the country’s ports, following similar sanctions imposed by the European Commission.
President Biden announced further sanctions targeting Russia’s marine sector.
