The first half of 2026 marked a powerful surge in domestic maritime transport. The volume of cabotage in the Baltic basin reached 6 million tons, significantly exceeding last year's figures (5.3 million tons). This is evidenced by closed port statistics cited by key market players.
Cargo Flow Transformation: From Ferries to Containers The main driver of growth is a sharp increase in the transshipment of liquid bulk and containerized cargo. While traditional ferry crossings are losing volume, logistics are reorienting toward more flexible formats:
Alexey Gagarinov, CEO of C-Shipping, sees this as a structural restructuring: "Vehicles are moving en masse into containers. Finished cars are being exported from Kaliningrad, while components, building materials, consumer goods, and even fertilizers are being brought back. The range of cargo has become enormous."
St. Petersburg as a Hub for Kaliningrad Containerization has given a powerful impetus to the region's ports: 1.9 million tons of containers were handled in six months (+46% year-on-year). The Port of Saint Petersburg increased its shipment of cargo to the Kaliningrad region to 1 million tons.
Experts remain optimistic. Elena Tverezovskaya ("Peleng") expects the traditional seasonal pickup to begin as early as September, while Alexey Gagarinov forecasts a growth in container traffic on the St. Petersburg–Kaliningrad route of at least 20% in the second half of the year.
Infrastructure Ready for the Load Over the past five years, cabotage on the Kaliningrad route has grown nearly tenfold, yet experts see no threat of collapse. Pavel Ivankin (National Research Center for Transport and Infrastructure) notes a surplus of railway capacity formed after cargo flows were redirected from Europe to the East and South. These resources are now serving the priority Kaliningrad direction.
In the next 2–3 years, the regional government plans to modernize the berth infrastructure of KMTP (Kaliningrad Commercial Sea Port) to ensure it can handle the growing stream of containers without obstruction.
Cargo Flow Transformation: From Ferries to Containers The main driver of growth is a sharp increase in the transshipment of liquid bulk and containerized cargo. While traditional ferry crossings are losing volume, logistics are reorienting toward more flexible formats:
- Oil products: Growth from 556,000 to 827,000 tons.
- Liquid bulk cargo: Increase to 968,500 tons (compared to 782,000 tons a year earlier).
- Ferry transportation: Decline to just under 2 million tons.
- Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) equipment: A critical drop from 24,600 to merely 3,700 tons.
Alexey Gagarinov, CEO of C-Shipping, sees this as a structural restructuring: "Vehicles are moving en masse into containers. Finished cars are being exported from Kaliningrad, while components, building materials, consumer goods, and even fertilizers are being brought back. The range of cargo has become enormous."
St. Petersburg as a Hub for Kaliningrad Containerization has given a powerful impetus to the region's ports: 1.9 million tons of containers were handled in six months (+46% year-on-year). The Port of Saint Petersburg increased its shipment of cargo to the Kaliningrad region to 1 million tons.
Experts remain optimistic. Elena Tverezovskaya ("Peleng") expects the traditional seasonal pickup to begin as early as September, while Alexey Gagarinov forecasts a growth in container traffic on the St. Petersburg–Kaliningrad route of at least 20% in the second half of the year.
Infrastructure Ready for the Load Over the past five years, cabotage on the Kaliningrad route has grown nearly tenfold, yet experts see no threat of collapse. Pavel Ivankin (National Research Center for Transport and Infrastructure) notes a surplus of railway capacity formed after cargo flows were redirected from Europe to the East and South. These resources are now serving the priority Kaliningrad direction.
In the next 2–3 years, the regional government plans to modernize the berth infrastructure of KMTP (Kaliningrad Commercial Sea Port) to ensure it can handle the growing stream of containers without obstruction.
