DeloPorts terminal in Novorossiysk starts servicing Sinokor Asia-Russia container line

KRASNODAR. Jan 17 (Interfax) - DeloPorts' NUTEP container terminal in Novorossiysk has begun handling the direct ocean services of Sinokor Merchant Marine, an international container line that specializes in shipping cargo from the Asia-Pacific region to Russia and back through the Suez Canal.

The first container ship of this line, Sawasdee Singapore with capacity of 1,500 TEU (20-foot container equivalent), was processed at NUTEP in January 2023, DeloPorts' parent company Delo Group, which is owned by Sergei Shishkarev and state corporation Rosatom, reported in a press release.

The vessel brought more than 1,000 TEU of import cargo to Russia and shipped 51 TEU of rapeseed oil in flexi-tanks back.

Sinokor vessels will call at Novorossiysk twice a month. If there is demand for the service, the number of vessel calls and the tonnage of vessels can be increased, Delo said.

"The start of work with Sinokor container line allows us to launch on a regular basis direct communication with Asian countries via Novorossiysk port and partially compensate the cargo traffic, which was previously served by other marine operators. This will ensure the diversification of our customers' logistics capabilities and increase the rhythm of communication with key trading partners," DeloPorts CEO Igor Yakovenko was quoted as saying in the press release.

The NUTEP terminal operates on four docks, including two for containers and two for ro-ro cargo. The terminal's cargo turnover grew by 6.8% to a record 582,498 TEU in 2022.