The Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) has been awarded the ‘Eurasian Transportation Excellence Award’ at the 33rd Plenary Meeting of the International Coordinating Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT) held in Lonavala, Maharashtra on December 3, 2024. This recognition highlights FFFAI’s exceptional cooperation, partnership, and contribution to the development of CCTT and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
The 33rd Plenary Meeting (CCTT) was held in a hybrid format with the support of the Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations of India (FFFAI). The meeting was attended by more than 100 representatives of government establishments, railways, seaports, shipping, investment and transport and logistics companies – members and partners of CCTT – from 18 countries (Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, R. Korea, UAE, Austria, Germany, Singapore, Thailand, Egypt, Belarus, Azerbaijan, China, Mongolia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Turkmenistan).
The event focused on enhancing logistical cooperation and addressing challenges in the Eurasian transport network. Participants discussed measures such as multimodal logistical planning, border-crossing facilitation, financial and insurance solutions, and the critical role of digitalization in logistics.
Key Highlights of the Event
The forum was graced by prominent dignitaries, including:
Unmesh Sarad Wagh, Chairman of JNPA and Chairman & Managing Director of Vadhvan Port.
Raut Pandurang, IRS, Deputy Director General – Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India.
Shankar Shinde, Immediate Past Chairman of FFFAI and Vice-Chairman of CCTT.
Paresh Mehta, Regional Chairman, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).
Oleg Belozerov, CCTT Chairman, CEO – Chairman of the Management Board, RZD OJSC.
Mikhail Goncharov, CCTT Secretary General.
Ivan Fetisov, Russian Consul General in Mumbai.
Igor Ten, Representative of the Federal Customs Service of Russia in India.
Sergey Pavlov, First Deputy Director General – Chairman of the Board, RZD OJSC.
Arzybek Kozhoshev, Minister (Member of the Board) for Energy and Infrastructure, Eurasian Economic Commission (online).
In their addresses, Chief Guest Mr. Unmesh Wagh underscored the strategic importance of the INSTC corridor in facilitating trade and highlighted the role of India-developed Chabahar Port in expediting shipments, noting the scheduling of regular vessels to enhance connectivity. He also showcased the advanced features of the upcoming Wadhvan Port, emphasizing its potential to significantly boost port handling capacity. Raut spoke about India’s robust economic growth, its emergence as a global manufacturing hub, and the strides made in fostering ease of doing business. Both dignitaries stressed the critical need to strengthen partnerships among CCTT member companies and leverage the INSTC to drive global trade connectivity.
Opening the meeting, Oleg Belozerov, CCTT Chairman, CEO – Chairman of the Management Board, RZD OJSC, noted that the volume of international cargo traffic on the Russian Railways network exceeded half a billion tons (551 million tons, +2.6% against 2022). Container transit is growing dynamically – in 10 months 2024 it amounted to almost 1.1 million TEU (1,091,3 thousand TEUs), which is 61.5% more than in the same period in 2023. In the ‘East – West’ connection, an increase totalled 86% (up to 342.5 thousand TEUs), the volumes of East-West transit increased by 85.8% up to 342,500 TEUs in January-September 2024. “It is important to consolidate the efforts to boost the transportation along international transport corridors, primarily the ‘North-South’ ITC,” – stated the head of Russian Railways. He added that the development of cooperation in the format of CCTT, which united states and business structures from 20 countries, had tremendous prospects. The main volume of Russian cargo transportation to Iran and beyond is carried out along the western route of the North-South ITC (through Azerbaijan). In 10 months of 2024, 550.2 thousand tons and 4,143 TEUs were transported through the Azerbaijani-Iranian border crossing of Astara in connection with Iran, India and other countries (23.3% and 3 times increase compared to the same period last year, respectively).
A broader and permanent business outreach platform should be created under the auspices of CCTT and FFFAI to aggregate visions of the Indian market related to the international corridors; identify proposals to overcome the existing constrains and elaborate action points aimed at organising mutual efforts to achieve the said above goals.
CCTT is a non-commercial transport association uniting 80 members from 20 countries. During the meeting, the issues of developing Eurasian railway and multimodal routes and increasing the infrastructure capabilities of seaports were considered.
The main topic of discussion at the Plenary Meeting was the intensification of the work of the CCTT member companies on the further development of the North-South International Transport Corridor (INSTS).
FFFAI’s Role in INSTC Development:
Speaking on the occasion Shankar Shinde, IPC, FFFAI said that INSTC boosting will bring benefits to stakeholders. He outlined FFFAI’s pivotal role in promoting and operationalizing the INSTC. The corridor has proven to be a vital alternative during disruptions such as Red Sea challenges and Suez Canal congestion, connecting India, Iran, Russia, and CIS countries through three primary routes: Western Route: Via Azerbaijan.Central Route: Via the Caspian Sea. Eastern Route: Via Turkmenistan.
Shinde highlighted the successful movement of reefer shipments carrying perishables and pharmaceuticals, marking a new milestone for the corridor’s utility beyond general cargo.
FFFAI’s collaboration with the Government of India and other member countries aims to strengthen infrastructure, connectivity, and IT integration along the INSTC, further enhancing trade opportunities.
The recognition of FFFAI with the Eurasian Transportation Excellence Award underscores its commitment to developing sustainable and efficient logistical solutions. By encouraging international partnerships and embracing innovation, FFFAI continues to play a transformative role in making the INSTC a global trade corridor of the future.
FFFAI also emphasized the importance of digital tools to provide transparency and build trust, including the development of online tracking systems and the establishment of a nodal office in coordination with the INSTC Secretariat.
With the participation of the heads of the RZD OJSC logistics subsidiaries – UTLC ERA JSC, RZD Logistics JSC, RZD Business Asset JSC – the attendees discussed in detail specific actions to attract an additional cargo base, ensure return loading from the Indian part, simplify border crossing procedures, search for acceptable financial and insurance solutions.
NEW INITIATIVES
CCTT HelpDesk and Future Prospects
Mikhail Goncharov CCTT Secretary General announced the launch of a dedicated CCTT HelpDesk to address real-time commercial and operational issues, enabling seamless transportation across Eurasian corridors. This initiative is “Connecting Eurasia: India, China, Africa ‘Outreach Business Platform, as well as the ‘Logistics – Profession of the Future’ educational programme. Memorandums of Cooperation signed with FIEO.
During the meeting, Memorandums of Cooperation were signed with the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) by the Center for Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and the ‘KAZLOGISTICS’ Union of Transport Workers of Kazakhstan.
Within the framework of the Meeting, the ‘Connecting Eurasia: India’ Business Outreach Dialogue was held, which was attended by investment companies from Egypt and Thailand – members of the BRICS International Strategic Projects Alliance.
CCTT Vice Chairman
By the decision of the Plenary Meeting, Jürgen Huschka-Wanka, President, Associations of TransEurasia Operators of Europe (GETO), was appointed as a CCTT Vice-Chairman.
