Vladimir Bychkov, CEO of GCS
Despite a significant general decline in the number of containers handled in Russian ports, multimodal operator Ruscon has seen its own numbers rise.
Ruscon, a subsidiary of leading Russian container transport company GCS, handled 65, 793 laden containers in the first half of 2015 compared with 58, 754 in the same period last year, an 11% increase.
This is in contrast to the total volumes at the ports where Ruscon operates, with throughput at St Petersburg on the Baltic Sea falling by 28.5%, at Novorossiysk on the Black Sea by 21%, and the Russian Pacific ports of Vladivostok and Vostochniy by 27%.
Vladimir Bychkov, CEO of GCS, attributes Ruscon’s success to providing a cost-effective and reliable service in the key Russian gateways. “We also have customers in a wide range of markets, so that helps us keep a balanced business during growth or decline in any particular commodity or product.”
The company is a major player in handling containers for both Russian imports (retail, foods, electronics, automotive) and exports (wood & paper, agribulks and chemicals).
The fact that Ruscon also has a good balance between import and export volumes helps it to provide exporters with containers, which are in short supply as exports have grown due to the low level of the rouble and the fall in oil prices. Imports are still being affected by the devaluation of the Russian currency at the end of 2014.
The majority of Ruscon’s business is in the Port of Novorossiysk, with 49, 074 containers handled in the first half of 2015, compared to 41, 842 in the same period in 2014.
In St Petersburg, Ruscon handled 13, 654 containers (15, 010 in H1, 2014) and in the Russian Pacific ports 3065 containers (1, 902 in H1, 2014)
GCS
Global Container Service (GCS) has worked successfully in the Russian container market since 1995. Beginning as a liner agency, today it is among the top ten container transport companies in Russia and the CIS. GCS belongs to one of Russia’s largest transport holding companies, Delo, which also owns several terminal assets in the port of Novorossiysk.
The GCS Group consists of seven companies in various fields of container shipping including agency, logistics and terminal operations. It is active in all of the major container ports and provinces of Russia, as well as in neighbouring CIS countries and overseas.
The group has ambitious plans to continue to expand its existing companies and to add new ones in order to meet the growing demand for professional transport services in Russia, the CIS and further afield.
GCS has announced a strategic target of doubling its container throughput and tripling revenue over the next five years. This will be achieved through consolidation of its vertically-integrated systems to enable seamless delivery of containers to any destination in Russia and worldwide. GCS relies on its 1, 200+ staff and close partnerships with leading Russian and international transport companies to help it meets its targets.
Ruscon
Ruscon, the multimodal subsidiary of GCS, is one of the leading transport operators in the Russian container industry. Its experienced team of approximately 900 people in 11 offices throughout Russia and CIS handles over 200, 000 TEU a year.
Based on a combination of GCS-owned facilities and cooperation with leading international and Russian logistics providers, Ruscon manages cross-border and cross-continent product flows to and from Russia. The company provides comprehensive supply chain solutions by arranging ocean freight, deliveries by truck and train, terminal handling, storage and forwarding.
