By Jonathan Saul

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Saint Petersburg’s new deepwater port goals to grow to be Russia’s main hub for cargo and container transport, regardless of an trade hunch and the influence of Western sanctions on the nation, officers concerned stated on Wednesday.

Russia’s financial system has been hit by falling oil costs and Western sanctions, which have additionally battered the rouble.

Port Bronka, which is situated within the Gulf of Finland, has been developed to spice up commerce and in addition be capable to take greater ships than Saint Petersburg’s historic port, which is situated nearer to the principle metropolis.

“In the long-term we are very positive about the Russian market,” stated Stefan Wilkens, normal supervisor of Bronka’s container terminal.

“Russia still has a low containerisation level,” he advised a information convention in London.

At 28 TEUs (20 foot equal models) per capita, Russia is among the many lowest customers of containerized commerce, Wilkens stated, including this in contrast information displaying 97 TEUs per capita globally and 122 TEUs in Europe.

The world container market, which ships retail items from iPhones to designer garments and meals merchandise, has been hit by a slowdown in demand for items from Asia.

Cargo transport – together with industrial items corresponding to coal – can also be reeling from softer Chinese imports and too many ships obtainable for rent.

The world’s quantity three line, France’s CMA CGM, turned the primary worldwide group to begin calls to Bronka in January and officers stated extra corporations have been anticipated to observe.

Port officers stated Bronka represented the “fastest way” to achieve Moscow and shopper markets there, with higher street connections. They stated the primary direct cargoes to be despatched by rail from the port to Moscow have been set to go reside in March.

Dmitry Mikhalchenko, chief govt of Fenix LLC, Bronka port’s proprietor and operator, acknowledged sanctions on Russia “are not having a positive impact”.

Alexey Shukletsov, Fenix’s govt director, advised the convention Bronka, which price over $400 million to develop and in addition contains cargo ship services, was concentrating on 80 million tonnes of quantity and 1.5 million TEUs yearly sooner or later, with preliminary commerce pegged at 3.8 million tonnes and 350,000 TEUs yearly.

Shukletsov stated it hoped to profit from CMA CGM’s preliminary settlement final month with Iran’s high container and cargo line IRISL, which might additionally probably enhance commerce flows with Bronka. (Editing by Alexander Smith)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.