Russian railways “picked up” freight traffic from the Red Sea
The decline in maritime traffic through the Suez Canal due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea has increased demand for cargo transportation by Russian railways, the British newspaper Financial Times reports.
Requests to move cargo on Russian rail lines have risen by about 40% since December, when container ships first had to seek alternative routes due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, DHL said. “The overwhelming amount goes through Russia,” the German logistics company emphasized. At the same time, DHL assured of compliance with international sanctions against Russia: no cargo was transported to or from Russia, and “strict export controls” were applied.
According to RailGate Europe, demand has grown by 25-35%; the Dutch Rail Bridge Cargo reported that this year freight transportation on Russian railways is 31% more popular than a year earlier. Due to the fact that logistics companies are forced to detour ships from Africa through the Cape of Good Hope and other alternative routes, the average delivery time has increased by 7-10 days to 50-55 days. At the same time, the journey from the Chinese city of Chengdu to the German Duisburg via Russian railways takes 25-30 days.