OREANDA-NEWS. April 28, 2010. Russia’s largest rail operator JSC Freight One is launching a new type of service: multimodal transport. Under the company’s first multi-modal project "From loading station to FOB vessel", a 22,000-tonne consignment of coal was successfully loaded on board the Pomorie vessel at Riga’s central port. The coal, which belongs to Mechel Group, is bound for the Baltic region from Kiizak station on the West Siberian railway (Kuzbass). Freight One provides its client with an integrated set of transportation and forwarding services for the delivery of cargo, which can substantially reduce the commercial risks for the client as regards the control and operational monitoring of freight movement at all stages of the transport chain, and considerably simplifies the transportation scheme. Freight One acts as a single logistics operator and takes responsibility for all organizational matters related to the transshipment of coal at the port.

According to Salman Babayev, general director of JSC Freight One, "the proposed scheme will increase the responsibility of all participants in the transportation process, which is expected to have a positive impact on the work of the whole port-operator-shipper chain. We have an opportunity to regulate the flow of railcars. Knowing when a vessel is coming, we can temporarily stop the shipment, send the railcars to somewhere else (if the vessel is delayed), and resume later. Thus, the efficiency of our fleet is increased, there is less downtime before shipment and the load on the infrastructure is reduced" said Salman Babayev. The port, meanwhile, benefits from the regular traffic and loading facilities provided by Russia’s largest operator.

According to Salman Babayev, if properly implemented the project could be an important step in Freight One’s plans to join the port infrastructure. "We are considering different areas and will offer our services wherever there are free port facilities. Our next step is to provide freight services." 100,000 tonnes of cargo will be hauled under the project with Mechel alone. "Overall, by the end of the year we plan to shift 3.2 million tonnes of various types of cargo, including coal, metals and ore. In 2011 that is set to double" said Mr Babayev.