Russia’s FESCO Shipments between Novorossiysk, India and UAE Up 30% in H1 2025

Russia’s FESCO Transportation Group shipped more than 8,500 TEU of containerized cargo on the FESCO Indian Line West (FIL-W) marine service between ports in India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Russian port of Novorossiysk in the first half of 2025, 30% more than a year earlier, the company has reported.

Export shipments rose 4% to over 3,500 TEU while import shipments surged 54% to more than 5,000 TEU. Most of the import cargo consisted of construction materials, chemicals, plastics and rubber, food products and refrigerated cargo, including pharmaceuticals. Export cargo consisted of Russian timber products, paper, metals and agricultural produce.

The FIL-W line’s regular route includes the Indian ports of Nhava Sheva and Mundra and the key UAE port of Jebel Ali. The line is operated by three FESCO container ships with combined capacity of more than 3,000 TEU. The third vessel was added in early June.

The travel time is about 17 days from the UAE to Novorossiysk and typically 21 days from the Indian ports, with departures once every two weeks.

The FIL-W service, through the feeder lines of FESCO partners, also connects to the Indian ports of Kolkata, Thoothukudi and Chennai, as well as Chattogram, Bangladesh; Karachi, Pakistan; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Mombasa, Kenya; Shuwaikh, Kuwait; Hamad, Qatar; Bahrain; Sohar, Oman; Dammam, Saudi Arabia; and Durban, South Africa.