North-South Corridor (INSTC)
The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200-km-long, multi-modal transport corridor for moving freight between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe. It includes a network of ship, rail, and road transport modes.
It was established in 2000 with the objective of increasing trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan and Bandar Anzali, as well as other cities and ports along the corridor. Participant countries aim to digitalise the process and reduce costs.
INSTC has gained importance this year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022. Western sanctions against Russia quickly followed and European and U.S. markets are now closed to most Russian products. Moscow has responded by pivoting its import and export trade south and east. Iran, India and China are identified as key markets to be expanded in the strategy to replace European trade.
Ports Europe: Updated October 18, 2022
Makhachkala’s – the key node in North-South Corridor
Makhachkala, Russia (PortSEurope) June 12, 2023 – Russia’s Caspian Sea port of Makhachkala is increasing its cargo and ferry traffic and becoming a major...
North-South Corridor is the most relevant and in demand – FESCO
Makhachkala, Russia (PortSEurope) June 12, 2023 – Echoing the Kremlin line, Russian logistics giant FESCO transport group claims that the International...
Russian seaports handled 379 million tonnes of cargo in Jan-May’23
Moscow, Russia (PortSEurope) June 12, 2023 – Cargo turnover of Russian seaports in the January-May 2023 period increased by 11.2% compared to the first five...
Kremlin puppet organisation wants North-South Corridor ports association
Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (PortSEurope) June 8, 2023 – Western sanctions-hit Russia is using all available tools to push for the development of the...
Russian port capacity reached 1.3 billion tonnes
Moscow, Russia (PortSEurope) June 8, 2023 – The total capacity of the Russian sea ports is 1.3 billion tonnes per year, according to Ruslan Mukhametov,...
Iran adds ships to Caspian Sea fleet
Tehran, Iran (PortSEurope) June 6, 2023 – Fifteen commercial ships have been added to Iran’s Caspian Sea fleet, reports the Ports and Maritime...
Russian Railways will invest 13.9 million euro in a dry port in Astrakhan
Astrakhan, Russia (PortSEurope) June 6, 2023 – Russian Railways (RZD) will invest about 1.2 billion rubles (13.9 million euro) until 2025 in the...
7,200 km problems for Russia’s North-South corridor
Astrakhan, Russia (PortSEurope) April 11, 2023 – The 7,200-km long International North-South Corridor (INSTC) is sold by Moscow’s propaganda to...
Belarus dodging sanctions via ports of sanctioned Russia
Minsk, Belarus (Ports Europe) May 31, 2023 – International sanction-hit Belarus has managed to establish transport and logistics schemes for the delivery of...
Sanctions force Russia to invest 1.1 billion euro in border checkpoints modernisation
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) May 31, 2023 – Some 95 billion rubles (1.1 billion euro) will be invested in the modernisation of Russian border checkpoints by...
Russian ports export record grain volumes – expect much more
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) May 30 – Grain exports via Russian ports is expected to reach 60 million tonnes in the 2023-2024 season and might continue to...
Reference – What are the advantages of transport corridors?
What is a transport corridor and what are its advantages? A transport corridor refers to a designated route(s) or pathway(s) that facilitates the movement of...
Belarus seeks new port in Murmansk, Russia
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) May 27, 2023 – Local press reports say that options have been discussed for building a Belarusian port in Murmansk. The...
North South Corridor might finally push development of Caspian SEZs
Kazan, Russia (Ports Europe) May 25, 2023 – Large-scale construction works will begin in the coming months in the Olya port special economic zone (SEZ) Lotos...
Russia, Kazakhstan sign a MoU for transport and transit
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) May 23, 2023 – Russia and Kazakhstan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the field of transport and transit....
The China-Central Asia Summit – a new Silk Road?
Xian, China (Ports Europe) May 22, 2023 – President Xi Jinpin has hosted his first-ever summit with the leaders of five Central Asian nations – the...
Russia and Iran to construct the 162 km INSTC missing railway link
Rasht, Iran (Ports Europe) May 22, 2023 – Russia and Iran signed an intergovernmental agreement for the construction of the 162 km Rasht-Astara railway in...
Sanctions: Russia and Iran to jointly buy and build 20 ships for the Caspian Sea
Tehran, Iran (Ports Europe) May 22, 2023 – Russia and Iran have agreed to establish a joint company that will purchase and/or build ships for the...
North-South Corridor might reopen Agidel port after 30-year hiatus
Agidel, Russia (Ports Europe) May 22, 2023 – The feasibility study for the reestablishment of the Agidel cargo river port was awarded to Scientific Approach...
Road to Makhachkala to be financed by bond issue
Makhachkala, Russia (Ports Europe) May 22, 2023 – The issuing of infrastructure bonds worth some 5 billion rubles (58 million euro) to finance the...