As Kremlin Promotes Ties With S. Africa, FESCO Launches New Durban Service

 

As part of its global expansion drive, Russia’s top container line FESCO has launched a new service linking key ports with Durban, South Africa. The launch of the service was revealed last week by German Maslov, FESCO’s Vice President for the Liner and Logistics Division.

For South African exports, FESCO will utilize its regular service from Novorossiysk and St. Petersburg to India’s Nhava Sheva. The cargo will then be transshipped by feeder vessels bound for South Africa. As for the imports from South Africa to Novorossiysk, FESCO will transship the cargo via Nhava Sheva or Jebel Ali (UAE) ports. The containers heading to St. Petersburg will be routed through India’s Mundra port.

Since the launch of FESCO’s Indian line in 2023, the service has grown by almost 10 times, becoming one of the best routes for the small shipping company. The service mainly operates to India’s western ports of Nhava Sheva and Mundra.

Currently, the FESCO Indian Line West (FIL-W) marine service is operated by two containerships with a total cargo capacity of around 2,100 TEU. The vessels provide a regular service every 18 days, with transit time of about 17 days from Novorossiysk to western India. Last year, FESCO shipped more than 16,000 TEU through its Indian Line service, which is 7 times higher than in 2023.

Overall, FESCO operates a fleet of 30 vessels and a container capacity of more than 200,000 TEU. The company has a strong Intra-Asia service with regular schedules to Malaysia and Vietnam.

FESCO’s launch of a South African service comes at a time Russia wants to boost its trade turnover with the country, with which it enjoys warm and well-established political ties. Last week, South African Vice President Paul Mashatile made a state visit to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin and other senior government officials.

The two sides emphasized bilateral cooperation, specifically in agriculture, energy and logistics. “The volume of trade between Russia and South Africa is about $1.3 billion. We would like to triple this amount in the next 4-5 years,” said Mashatile.

However, a major barrier to trade between Russia and South Africa has been distance and unreliable logistics services. The launch of FESCO’s direct sea route will help solve this challenge.

Top image: Port of Durban (Media Club / CC BY SA 2.0)