Finland launches cargo transportation bypassing Russia

Finland’s leading cargo operator, Nurminen Logisticts, launched Tuesday the first transportation route from China bypassing Russia.

On the new southern Trans-Caspian route, the first full-length container train from Nurminen Logistics departed today, May 10, 2022, from Chongqing, China. The route starts from China and runs via Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania to Central Europe, according to a statement published to the company’s website.

Nurminen Logistics built the route in two months from scratch together with the Kazakh railways, which speaks about the company’s extensive expertise and ability to react quickly to customer needs in a changing global logistics field.

The Trans-Caspian route, which combines rail and sea transport, responds perfectly to the needs of modern transport chains, where time and environmental friendliness play a significant role; transport time from China to Central Europe is approximately three times faster than sea freight.

“Opening the route required strong confidence from China Railways in our operations and, above all, our customers’ trust in us. In addition, Nurminen’s international railway team also showed excellent expertise and implementation in a difficult and fast-paced situation,” says Olli Pohjanvirta, CEO of Nurminen Logistics.

There is strong demand for the new route and the first train is full. The next train, which leaves on May 25, is almost sold out, as there are only a few spaces left. Weekly departures are scheduled to begin in June. The first train has containers with a wide range of products from European customers. The containers include components from various industries and summer products from jacuzzis to outdoor sports equipment.