Interviewees from the Russian logistics industry said that there are still waiting ships outside the Nakhodka port, and there are also ships on the way to Nakhodka port. "It usually takes one month for small ships to wait for unloading, and it takes about 10 days for large shipping companies to wait a little faster."
"In another Far East port, Vladivostok, the waiting time for ships calling the port is about 12 days," said Alexey Pristavkin, head of multimodal transport department of Canavara Transport Systems. "But the situation may deteriorate in the next three months."
He explained: "Before the Russian New Year holiday (January 1 to 8), importers will try to import as many goods as possible. They usually hoard goods before the Chinese Lunar New Year (January 22). China has closed almost all factories during this period."
Now the ships arriving at the Far East port can not unload quickly. "The situation is paralyzed, and they are very slow. Port workers are accused of slowing down the work process of railway workers. Due to the lack of adequate operating facilities, containers are stuck in the port. Operators even began to use railway gondola to transfer containers."
However, Alexey Pristavkin does not approve of this "flexible approach" to fighting congestion. "We need to speed up the transit efficiency of the railway platform and optimize the operation of the Far East Terminal. Only in this way can we fundamentally reduce the cargo handling time."
Alexey Pristavkin suggested that containers piled up in the Far East port can be transferred to other nearby stations by road, or the container cargoes near the destination can be directly sent out by road. "But if the destination is Moscow or St. Petersburg, road transport of goods is too expensive, which will consume all profit margins."
In addition, market participants revealed that the Zabaikalsk Manzhouli port behind the Sino-Russian railway crossing point is also in a high load operation mode. "The cargo vehicles waiting here are also in a long queue, with an average of 20 days for customs clearance. In addition, in the short term, there are no measures to significantly shorten the border inspection time."
Professionals suggest that, compared with the congestion of Far East ports, traders and operators can send more export goods from China by rail. "For example, when goods are sent to Novorossiysk, the increase of inspection time of goods at the post Zabaikalsk border crossing point will also promote the change of the flow of such goods."
Of course, this is only the suggestion of some professionals. It is better to arrange the cargo diversion and transportation plan reasonably according to the customer's needs. The rush into a port or station may also cause congestion, which is not their original intention.
