Russia’s FESCO launches first Tanzania cargo route through Dar es Salaam

Russian transport and logistics group FESCO has completed its first container shipment to Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port, marking a new step in Moscow’s growing trade push into East Africa.

• Russian logistics group FESCO delivered its first export containers to Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port.
• The shipment travelled from Novorossiysk through India’s Nhava Sheva port.
• Russia is increasing trade and logistics ties with African markets amid Western sanctions.
• Dar es Salaam is emerging as a key gateway for East and Central African trade.

The company, which operates within the management structure of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said the shipment carried plastic products and industrial spare parts from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk to Tanzania through India’s Nhava Sheva port.

FESCO said the route, operated under its FESCO Indian Line West service, has an average transit time of about 45 days.

The move comes as Russia seeks to deepen commercial ties across Africa following years of Western sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine.

Moscow has increasingly turned toward African, Asian and Middle Eastern markets for trade, logistics and political partnerships.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s main commercial port, has become a strategic gateway for regional trade, serving not only the domestic market but also landlocked neighbours including Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tanzania has invested heavily in expanding port infrastructure in recent years as East Africa’s economies and consumer markets continue to grow.

“Dar es Salaam is one of the fastest-growing container ports in the world,” Alexey Kravchenko, executive director of FESCO Integrated Transport, said in a statement.

He added that the port offers access to wider East African markets and presents “great potential for co-operation with Russian companies.”

FESCO said it plans to use the route in both directions, with imports from Tanzania expected to include tea, coffee and other agricultural commodities bound for Russia.

Once cargo arrives in Novorossiysk, it can be distributed across Russia using the company’s rail and trucking network.

The next shipment from Russia to Tanzania is scheduled for mid-May, according to Rosatom.

Trade between Russia and African countries has been growing steadily, although it still remains far below the levels seen between Africa and major partners such as China or the European Union.

Russia has recently focused on expanding exports of energy products, fertilisers, grain, machinery and logistics services to the continent.

FESCO has also signalled broader ambitions in Africa. In 2025, company executive Timofey Shkuntik said the group believed trade turnover between Russia and South Africa could triple within five years.

The new Tanzania route highlights how Russia is trying to strengthen alternative trade corridors as global supply chains continue to shift amid geopolitical tensions and changing shipping patterns.