OREANDA-NEWS. September 22, 2011. The new container terminal in the multipurpose Ust-Luga deep-water port is expected to be launched in November 2011. Unifeeder - leading feeder and shortsea operator in Northern Europe - will be the first to call the terminal, providing the widest terminal network in the St.Petersburg area.

“One stop services” at brand new container terminal

In a pioneering move, Unifeeder will be connecting to the yet-to-be-completed Ust-Luga container terminal, offering a fixed weekly service and easy access to the continuously growing Russian market. The terminal is expected to be operational by the beginning of November, and from day one Unifeeder will be ready with full “one stop services” to both feeder and shortsea clients. The commitment from the feeder and shortsea logistics provider is clear, as the company will be establishing its own office at the terminal.

“The new Ust-Luga terminal offers a sound alternative to the strained and at times congested St.Petersburg terminals. It is strategically located to reduce the impact of the harsh winter on operation and it is able to easily accommodate cargo going to the St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kaluga areas through an already well established infrastructure. It is the new gateway into Russia and at Unifeeder we are proud to add it as a fixed part of our already extensive terminal network in the area”, says Unifeeder’s CEO Jesper Kristensen.

Circumventing the ice – reducing congestion and making volume flow

Expanding the terminal network can indeed prove to be particularly relevant due to the strong winters and the accompanying operational and congestion related problems which have permeated the region recent years. The new terminal offers a competitive alternative to existing terminals in terms of location, capacity, and connection to the region’s infrastructure. By calling the Ust-Luga terminal, some of the pressure put on the terminals in St.Petersburg is reduced. Moreover, the new gateway is likely to be less strained by the months of snow and ice in the winter season due to its location closer to open sea.

Major container terminal with great connection to main traffic arteries

The terminal itself is situated in the Luga Bay of the Gulf of Finland, and as such offers all-yearround operation with a shorter ice channelling period than in St. Petersburg. The necessary infrastructure to handle major volume has already been set in place with the direct involvement of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. The container terminal with 440 m of quay is fully equipped with railway tracks, shunting yards and wide internal roads. Motorways and railway tracks connect the port with the major traffic arteries, enabling swift removal of containers and reducing risk of congestion. While the multipurpose port is still under construction, it currently holds an annual throughput capacity of 440,000 TEU and by 2019 it is expected to handle more than 2,800,000 TEU annually.