Russian entities are carrying out a trial shipment from the European part of Russia to Iran via rivers and the Caspian Sea as part of the "North-South" shipping corridor. The journey is expected to take a shorter time compared to the Suez Canal. The leasing company STLC, in collaboration with the Russian Export Center and business sector partners, is organizing a trial shipment of goods via the rivers from the European part of Russia to the Caspian Sea and then to a port in northern Iran.
The aim of this initiative is to assess the commercial effectiveness and economic viability of using a shipping route that connects rivers in the European part of Russia with the Caspian Sea as part of the "North-South" shipping corridor. Based on the trial shipment, specific proposals will be developed for creating a comprehensive waterway within the "North-South" corridor.
According to the Russian Export Center's report, a cargo ship carrying 3,000 tons of barley departed from the dock at the Dubovka port in the Volgograd region towards a port in northern Iran. The journey is expected to take 15 to 20 days, which is a shorter timeframe compared to the traditional route via the Suez Canal, and at a lower cost as well.
The "North-South" shipping corridor is a multimodal route from St. Petersburg to the port of Mumbai in India, spanning 7,200 kilometers and passing through Iran. This corridor serves as an alternative route to the maritime navigation path that connects Europe with Gulf countries and the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal, incorporating three international shipping routes: one via the Caspian Sea (utilizing railways and ports) and two land routes (the western and eastern corridors).
