A solemn ceremony was held in Baltiysk in the railway ferry complex November 11, 2019 to meet the first container train on the route between China and Germany by using the sea leg on the route between Baltiysk (Russia) and Mukran (GmbH Fahrhafen Sassnitz, Germany) as part of the New Silk Route. The historical event coincided with the celebrations marking the 15^th anniversary of cooperation between FSUE “Rosmorport” and the ferry port of Mukran (Sassnitz).

The event was attended by members of the Government of the Kaliningrad region, management of the Kaliningrad Directorate of the FSUE “Rosmorport” North-Western Basin Branch, Kaliningrad Railways, and businessmen of Russia and Germany.

The train moving on the Xian-Kaliningrad-Hamburg route consists of 42 containers (84 TEU) carrying consumer goods, spare car parts and computer equipment.

In Baltiysk containers were loaded to feeder vessels that will supply cargoes to Germany. The ferry port terminal of Mukran (Sassnitz) is the only port in Western Europe equipped with track side and reloading facilities for rail cars of the Russian gauge.

Multimodal transport operations to deliver cargoes in containers to Europe from China through the seaport of Kaliningrad became possible due to cooperation between FSUE “Rosmorport”, Kaliningrad Railways – Russian Railways JSC, the United Transport Logistic Company JSC and the Baltic Stevedoring Company, LLC. On the first stage it is planned to organize the work on a sea line with one or two vessel calls at each port once a week. In case of the project success the number of vessel calls is planned to increase up to four ones a week by the end of 2020 and figures of ground transit at this direction are expected to be grown up to one million TEU by 2021.