Русский
Russian and Iranian maritime shipping companies are looking in detail at creating a new maritime container line, according to Andrei Tarasenko, the head of the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot). He was speaking at the 2025 Transport of Russia forum.
Tarasenko said that Russia and Iran had reached specific agreements in November to create a joint maritime consortium to develop shipping between Makhachkala in Dagestan and Iran’s Caspian Sea ports. The talks also touched on the launch of a regular container line between Makhachkala and Iranian ports, with the Makhachkala Commercial Sea Port and Iranian shipping company IRISL discussing a joint venture container line.
Tarasenko said tariffs to dock at Russian and Iranian ports are different, so the consortium will need to calibrate and align tariff policy.
Makhachkala is the capital and main port of the Republic of Dagestan, which is part of the Russian Federation. The city received its current name, Makhachkala, in 1921 in honor of one of Dagestan’s revolutionary figures, Makhach Dakhadaev. It is the largest economic, trade, and logistics center of Dagestan, where the main financial flows, service sector, and business activity of the republic are concentrated. The port of Makhachkala includes a dry cargo harbor, berths for general and bulk cargo and containers, a railway and auto ferry terminal, and a grain terminal. The main cargoes are mineral construction raw materials, oil and petroleum products, and grain.
According to Rosmorrechflot, the service, which will run along the Russia-Iran-India and Russia-Iran-China routes, is set to launch in 2026.
Tarasenko said route planning and economic projections were interlinked, with each stage of the transportation process assessed and the profitability of all links in the route’s chain determined. For example, if shipping transit cargo from the ports of Makhachkala and Olya in the Astrakhan region is unprofitable, then the end-to-end transportation economics must be calculated, reflecting cost of shipping from the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, and regional transport hubs.
Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, also confirmed the news, saying that the agreement was reached in Makhachkala between the heads of the ports and maritime organization, senior government officials, and the directors of major related private-sector companies from both countries. He added that the structure and framework of the consortium were agreed upon, and it was decided that the details and official text would be negotiated, drafted, and finalized by mid-December.
Jalali emphasized that the consortium will pursue the strategic objective of broadly expanding trade, transit, and multimodal transportation between the two countries.
Russia-Iran trade has been increasing, driven by a new free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and a broader strategic partnership. Bilateral trade has risen over 11% in the year to date, suggesting a 2025 trade turnover of about US$5.3 billion.
Further Reading
Dagestan’s Makhachkala Port Targeting Exports To The Middle East & Asia
