Southern call
On July 25, the first phase of the car transshipment terminal was put into operation in Novoshakhtinsk (Rostov region). The new complex is the first automobile terminal in Russia’s southern region. Experts say the terminal in Novoshakhtinsk will help to unload Moscow Customs and diversify transport flows though not competing with the Baltic segment of automobile delivery.
Terminal capacity
The project is implemented by Russian Transport Lines LLC jointly with Algai LLC. The capacity of the terminal’s first phase is some 120,000 automobiles per year. According to Elena Zhdanova, the company’s PR-Director, the first phase is a 15-hectare open ground with asphalt-macadam surface capable of storing 6,500 automobiles. The second phase will cover the territory of 10 hectares. It will be put into operation by the end of the current year, which is to raise the terminal’s storing capacity to 10,500 cars. The terminal will be able to handle 170,000 automobiles per year. For implementation of this project RTL established a subsidiary in Novoshakhtinsk – YugTerminalServis LLC.
As Elena Zhdanova told PortNews IAA, the location of the terminal was selected due to a number of reasons. In particular, deepwater seaports (Iljichevsk, Sevastopol, Odessa, Nikolayev) have good opportunities for handling ferries transporting ro-ro cargo. Besides, Southern Customs is less loaded as compared with Moscow Customs. “From Novoshakhtinsk automobiles will be transported as Russian cargo under a tariff which is 40% lower. Thus transport costs will be much lower as well,” Elena Zhdanova explained.
Southern direction
As of today, the most popular direction for import of automobiles is the Finnish route accounting for 70% of all cars imported to Russia. In 2007, some 719,000 cars entered Russia by Baltic route. The forecast for 2008 says motor car flow will grow by 30-40%. According to experts the southern region will not manage to deal with such volumes within the nearest 5-7 years. Russian Black Sea ports including Novorossiysk may not compete with Ukrainian ports because of overloading.
“ Novoshakhtinsk terminal is a different way of delivery; it is a good route though for a narrow segment,” PortNews IAA learnt from an expert, representative of a stevedoring company operating in the Russian part of the Gulf of Finland. Of course, this route will be popular but is not to become a rival for the Baltic route even if RTL redirects some of its flows there.”
As of today there is a contract for logistics services in Novoshakhtinsk signed between Algai and General Motors; negotiations with Toyota, Mazda, Nissan manufacturers are in progress. Experts say the terminal is also suitable for transshipment of Renault automobiles in Turkey, which enter Russia in Novorossiysk, then transported to Moscow for customs clearance and then partly return to the southern region.
Customs clearance of these automobiles is carried out by RTL Group. Automobiles will be cleared four kilometers from Novoshakhtinsk at Customs Clearance Department (temporary storage warehouse Novotekh), which fell under control of Rostov motor transport post (Rostov Customs of Southern Customs Authority) in March 2008. The capacity of the Customs Clearance Department is 80 car carriers. Application of new technologies allows to execute customs clearance within 24 hours.