WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 06/2018 (RU)

BLG remains confident about
Russia’s potential
BLG Logistics has been active on the Russian market
since 2008. Around ten years ago, the logistics service
provider opened its first branch in St. Petersburg. Two
years later, BLG entered into a strategic partnership
with the Sea Port of St. Petersburg to take on port
handling activities there. Initially, the logistics expert
was responsible for marketing the automobile areas as
well as for quality inspection.
Good development in Bronka
In 2017, some six years after starting up in St. Petersburg, BLG
Logistics relocated its operative port activities from the city port of
St. Petersburg to the newly built port of Bronka. St. Petersburg’s new
deep-water port opened in January 2016. Regular line services
connect Bronka with the main Northern-range ports, including the
Auto-Terminal Bremerhaven run by BLG.
At the beginning of 2017, BLG Logistics Automobile SPb and LLC
Fenix, owner and operator of the Russian port of Bronka, signed a
long-term cooperation contract for automobile handling via Bronka.
It means BLG Logistics is now responsible there for port handling as
LOGISTICS
I
n 2011, BLG Logistics added transport services to its portfolio.
The next year saw the Russian automobile market boom, with
some 3 million new registrations. However, uncertain political
conditions in the subsequent years followed by sanctions imposed
by Western countries and the collapse of the oil price led to a devaluation
of the ruble, high inflation, and declining real income.
The central bank reacted with two-figure interest rates, which
tightened credit for companies and consumers. These
developments have caused the consumer-driven automobile
market to crash by more than 50 percent since 2013. In 2016, the
market generated just 1.4 million vehicle registrations. This also
affected BLG Logistics. Now, since the beginning of last year, the
Russian automobile market has been picking up again.
We want to successively expand
our service portfolio in Bronka
Uwe Seliger, Managing Director of
BLG Automobile Logistics, Eastern
Europe & Russia Business Unit
well as storage of vehicles. With direct access to the bypass road as
well as six berths for ocean-going ships plus direct connection to the
rail network, Bronka offers ideal conditions for import and export of
vehicles and other ro-ro cargo. Together with Fenix, BLG started its
new business initially on a 12-hectare area with 25 truck loading and
12 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 2018