Certainly, the Great Standoff on the Chinese-Kazakh and Russian borders, which, like the Great Wall of China, seemed to be eternal. However, on October 24, Decree No. 778 of the President of the Russian Federation "On the Peculiarities of Customs Regulation on the Russian-Kazakh Section of the State Border of the Russian Federation" was issued, and life gradually began to improve. A route that had recently been cautiously avoided is once again being viewed as an economically viable option for cargo delivery.
These dramatic events with week-long downtimes in road and rail traffic have turned cargo owners and manufacturers to the idea of JIT, that is, the risk of using Just- in-Time (JIT) supply chain technology now. It is an option for critical production and supply sectors, limited to small (up to two months) inventories of goods and raw materials. In desperate situations and under certain conditions, air freight has been a lifesaver, and WELLGO, by the way, is always ready to offer its clients, and we will update the information below.
Secondly, the latest, 19th package of EU sanctions has seriously affected,the logistics industry as well. In the area of international payments, these include VTB bank in Shanghai and Kazakhstan, the A7A5 and Payeer payment systems, and major logistics operators such as Transit, the Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO), amongst others. FESCO immediately issued a statement stating that all company services continue to operate as usual, and that EU sanctions will not significantly impact the group's core business, which is focused on foreign trade container shipping with friendly countries.
Finally, on a lighter note - October 17, 2025 in Moscow, at the Hyatt Hotel Regency , with support from WELLGO, hosted this year's main event in pharmaceutical logistics and quality—the 7th "Medicine Logistics" Conference. At the conference, Natalia Bochkova, our CEO, presented an overview of the current state of the international logistics market. We've already written about this in detail here: (link to our conference materials on the website).
Now, on to the main news and forecasts for November.
Rates from Chinese ports to St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, and Novorossiysk remain at September levels, which is positive, especially given the nearly twofold increase in sea freight rates in the Far East. However, a rate increase is expected in the second half of November. The main factors driving this increase will be low container turnover, the winter surcharge, and increased seasonal demand.
Starting mid-November, a winter surcharge will be applied on sea routes to St. Petersburg and KGD. Based on past experience, it is approximately $250 per TEU.
There is equipment in stock.
The schedule is stable, but availability must be checked before booking.
There is a shortage of places for the first half of November.
The ports of St. Petersburg and Novorossiysk are operating normally.
According to the results of January-September 2025, the cargo turnover of the Port of St. Petersburg amounted to 1.07 million TEU, and the port of Novorossiysk - 827 thousand TEU.
News:
FESCO plans to launch a regular sea route connecting St. Petersburg with Brazilian ports this December. The new service will run along the route: St. Petersburg – Santos – Paranaguá – Itapoa – Rio Grande – St. Petersburg. The new route will be serviced by two container ships with a capacity of 1,700 TEU each.
The successful maiden voyage of the Istanbul ship Bridge, which traveled along the Northern Sea Route from Ningbo-Zhoushan to the British port of Felixstowe in 20 days, was operated by the Chinese operator Haijie Shipping.(Sea legend). The company is planning 16 regular Arctic voyages next year. The arrival in Istanbul of the Bridge's journey to Europe was delayed by two days due to adverse weather conditions in the North Sea and a strike at the Port of Rotterdam. The Arctic portion of the route proceeded without any surprises or delays.
Direct train service from Southeast Asia
The need to update fares for each train remains, and overall, fares are rising. While the increases are small so far, further increases are expected.
The need to update fares for each train remains, and overall, fares are rising. While the increases are small so far, further increases are expected.
The need to update fares for each train remains, and overall, fares are rising. While the increases are small so far, further increases are expected.
Non-public trains and express trains are currently crossing the Kazakhstan border the fastest.
The list of key goods subject to inspection in Kazakhstan remains the same: equipment and baby products, personal hygiene products, and goods subject to the SCR and SGR.
For those who want to guarantee delivery of their cargo to Russia before the New Year holidays, we suggest choosing the route via Zabaikalsk.
The current fare level remains between USD 4,500 and USD 5,500 (station-to-station), depending on the departure station in China.
WELLGO advice is to check the fares for each specific train.
There are no official delays in exits.
Moscow railway hub stations are receiving signals normally.
Deadlines for crossing the main border crossings:
Zabaikalsk – 10-12 days
Alashankou – 10-12 days (provided the train is not subject to inspection)
Erlian – 7-10 days
Multimodal transportation through the Far East
Despite declining trans-shipment volumes, the Port of Vladivostok regained its leading position among Russia's container ports for the first three quarters of 2025, handling 1.08 million TEUs in January-September (down 10% year-on-year compared to 2024). The biggest impact was the suspension of the STF (TransContainer) line, with a large volume of cargo being redistributed among other carriers. This resulted in partial overbookings and tariff changes for several competing lines. Among the disruptions, some STF cargo remains in the Port of Nakhodka without release, some remains anchored without unloading, and the remainder was unloaded in Korean and Chinese ports, which will be shipped by other lines.
In October, legal entities of the FESCO Group and Transit were placed under sanctions, although statements from operators regarding the situation do not appear pessimistic. If problems do arise, it will be over time, as both companies have their own vessels, which, for example, may be denied service at some Asian terminals.
On average, tariffs have increased between 20 and 40%.
There is no noticeable shortage of equipment, and isolated shortages are rarely observed on individual lines.
Delivery schedules and deadlines are usually observed.
Places – there is a trend towards overbooking until the middle of the month.
There are no restrictions at the stations of the Moscow railway hub.
WELLGO expects a gradual increase in fares, overbooking , and a shortage of space on ships.
In Vladivostok/Nakhodka, the terms for registering on the railway are:
to Moscow – 5-7 days
to St. Petersburg – 7-10 days
other regions – 10-12 days
Maritime services to other regions
Turkey
Import tariffs remain low, with some lines offering FIFO tariffs of USD 100/20DC and USD 200/40HC.
There are no problems with equipment availability.
The following are accepted for transportation: dangerous goods, SOC containers, tank containers, refrigerated containers.
There are no schedule delays or rollings .
Carriers continue to report a shortage of cargo, which is keeping rates low.
United Arab Emirates
For October, tariffs remain at the September level.
There is no shortage of equipment.
The port of Jebel Ali is operating normally, although agents are noting a possible increase in tariffs in anticipation of the New Year rush.
There are no rotations or raids.
Overbooking remains in the export direction from the Russian Federation .
India
Indian ports remain congested.
There are no equipment shortages, rotations, or raids; all services are operating normally.
Overbooking continues for exports, Russia to India ; new bookings are being accepted for the second half of November.
Exports from India to Russia continue to be dominated by pharmaceutical ingredients, hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals for the pharmaceutical industry and chemical production (varnishes, paints, etc.).
China
The second half of October saw an increase in tariffs from China, driven by several factors:
Traditional seasonal increase in demand for air freight
Double 11 e- commerce festival - as a result, an increase in the volume of cargo in the e- comm sector
Currently, fare levels for flights booked 10-12 days before departure show surcharges of:
Regular passenger flights: 30 CNY+
Regular cargo flights: 23-25 CNY.
Non-scheduled charter flights: 19-21 CNY.
Air freight rates are expected to continue to rise for at least the first two weeks of November.
News:
The good news in October was that this year, contrary to forecasts, passenger airlines, with the transition to winter schedules, are not changing aircraft types (from wide-body to narrow-body) or reducing flight frequencies, unlike last year. In fact, frequencies are actually increasing. This is due to the increase in passenger traffic between China and Russia due to the abolition of visas for Russians on October 15.
Transport capacity volume increased by 15% compared to November last year and by 6% compared to the previous month.
Turkey
Turkey is an attractive destination for Russian tourists all year-round. However, as Autumn ends, Aeroflot announced it will switch to its winter schedule starting November 1. They will replace aircraft with narrow-body jets to Antalya. Southwind Airlines will continue to operate flights from Antalya with larger aircraft, according to preliminary information, until mid-November.
Tariffs for these flights remain stable at the level of 1.25-3.0 USD/kg.
Direct air traffic between Turkey and Russia is actively supported by numerous Turkish Airlines flights. Airlines currently operates 7 flights per day.
United Arab Emirates
The capacity situation from the UAE is currently very favorable with the resumption of direct wide-body passenger flights by Aeroflot and UTAIR. Together, these flights now have up to 112 tonnes of commercial capacity available weekly.
Rates for these options are USD 3.45-3.85/ kg for general cargo and USD 4.2 - 4.50 for cargo with built-in ELI batteries.
Flights are available on smaller passenger aircraft, allowing small, boxed cargo to be transported by air at very attractive rates. The charter program currently operates biweekly.
India
The peak tourist season has begun in Goa, a popular resort destination for tourists from all over the world. Aeroflot has therefore resumed flights to this destination three times a week on wide-body aircraft. This has increased the number of direct air travel options between India and Russia: Aeroflot operates direct flights from Delhi and Goa, while Volga-Dnepr Airlines operates a weekly cargo flight from Mumbai . In addition, numerous other airlines operate connecting flights from India to Russia. Important Note: WELLGO is assessing the availability of these flights n a case-by-case basis due to the restrictions in place.
Air freight rates from India currently range from 2.8 to 3.6 USD/ kg .
China
The overall trend is growing demand for this type of transportation along with associated rising rates.
Following the massive congestion in Kazakhstan in October, cargo traffic shifted to Zabaikalsk. Due to growing demand, trucks are quickly filling, creating a shortage of vehicles. Most auto trips are scheduled until mid-November.
Rates are extremely volatile, changing almost daily. Advance booking is essential, and prices must be confirmed. The main challenge for the Zabaikalsk route is securing a slot/reservation for entry into China. Vehicles are backed up on the Russian side, causing delays during transhipment. However, the border itself can be crossed in 1-2 days.
The situation in Alashanka is gradually improving, following severe congestion caused by mass inspections. The time it takes to reach the transhipment warehouses is currently 4-6 days, and the border can be crossed in 1-2 days.
The average cost for the route Shanghai – Kazakhstan – Moscow is 9000-10000 USD/tent.
The average cost for the route Shanghai – Manzhouli – Moscow is 11,000-13,000 USD/tent.
Europe
The Šalčininkai and Medininkai border crossings are temporarily closed until December 1. Drivers are facing lengthy waits: nearly 1,600 trucks and about 420 cars are already in the electronic queue, some are being forced to turn around and leave the route due to growing concerns about a complete closure starting in November. The closure is being blamed on unauthorized overflights of weather balloons carrying contraband from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace.
The ongoing standoff between the US and China over rising port charges is negatively impacting COSCO's business. COSCO's fleet includes vessels partially owned by American investors, making them subject to both countries' restrictions. COSCO Shipping has already suffered losses of over $42 million this week. Both countries introduced the additional charges on October 14. Some unprofitable voyages have been cancelled, yet the situation constantly changes. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have reportedly agreed to temporarily waive port charges on vessels from both countries.
WELLGO continues to follow significant events in the world of logistics. November will fly by. Stay in touch!