Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announces activation of the Vladivostok-Chennai maritime route to enhance trade efficiency.
India has successfully activated the Vladivostok-Chennai shipping route, marking a significant step towards improving trade connectivity with Russia. The route, which connects India’s southeastern coast to Russia’s Far East, is designed to facilitate the movement of key goods such as petroleum and LNG from Russia, and textiles, engineering goods, and machine parts from India. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, confirmed that plans are underway to further expand this corridor to include other eastern ports like Paradip and Vizag, making it more accessible and viable for exporters.
The Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the two countries, cutting it by up to 50 percent. While the route spans 5,600 nautical miles (around 10,300 km), it is anticipated to shorten travel times to just 10-14 days, compared to the traditional Red Sea route, which can take up to 48 days. This presents a major opportunity for exporters, offering both time and cost savings, particularly for goods traveling between India and Russia.
Currently, petroleum and LNG are the main imports from Russia, while India exports products such as textiles and engineering goods. The new maritime route is also being explored for the shipping of coking coal from Mongolia and Russia to India, further expanding its potential.
In light of disruptions caused by the ongoing Red Sea crisis, the Vladivostok-Chennai route presents a strong alternative. The Red Sea route, which has traditionally accounted for a significant portion of India’s exports and imports, has seen increasing delays and rising costs. As an alternative, the Vladivostok-Chennai corridor could be a game changer for enhancing India-Russia trade, especially considering the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEEC) and other alternatives like the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Minister Sonowal also mentioned that work is underway on the India-UAE leg of IMEEC, with trial runs expected soon to further enhance connectivity and logistics efficiency.
