Updated: April 20, 1999

The following is a list of U.S. flagged shipping companies and freight forwarders with services to the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the Former Soviet Union. This list is provided solely as an information service and does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Commerce of any particular company or its business activities. Please note that this list is by no means complete.

Note:
Vessel Operating Common Carriers (VOCCs) own their vessels.
Non Vessel Operating Common Carriers (NVOCCs) lease space on vessels owned by VOCCs. NVOCCs can consolidate freight from various shippers and their rates are generally competitive with VOCCs.
Freight Forwarders are similar to NVOCCs and also lease space on VOCCs. They will handle paperwork, find best rate on VOCCs, and consolidate cargo from various shippers. Like NVOCCs, they have more bargaining power with VOCCs than a single shipper of small freight would have; their rates are generally higher than VOCCs and NVOCCs because they offer more services to the shipper.

American Asian Express (AAE): AAE is a full service transportation venture operating in the U.S. and the countries of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Belarus, Western Europe, and the Baltic States. The venture facilitates inland transport, mostly by trucks, to the above destinations from the Russian, Finish, and Baltic Sea ports. AAE maintains a fleet of European Volvo tractor-trailers and vans for refrigerated and dry cargo, as well as flat bed and customized loads. The venture uses TIR Carnet documentation for cargo customs clearance at the final destination in the NIS. Additional transportation services include freight insurance, armed escort, warehousing, customs clearance, and more. For routes information, rate quotation, and other transport services, call (330) 856-7988; fax (330) 856-7919; or email: willo@msn.com.

American President Lines (APL): APL provides services to and from the Russian Far East, as an addition to their transpacific service. APL now offers 20 and 40 foot dry containers, and 40 foot reefers linking all APL USA points to the ports of Vostochny, Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Magadan, and Korsakov, the port city of Sakhalin Island. In addition, the inland points of Khabarovsk, Komsolosk, and Berobizan are also served. APL serves these ports and points on "through service" by using its existing transpacific service, relaying cargo over Pusan, Korea on to two vessels operated by a third party common carrier. For more information, call (206) 933-4646 or fax (206) 933-4510. You can also visit APL online at http://www.apl.com.

Benson & Company, Inc.: Benson & Co. is a full service, intermodal logistics company. Benson & Co. offers custom clearance formalities, inventory management and air, rail and truck freight forwarding throughout all territories of Russia and the former Soviet Union. The company has a large bonded warehouse in St. Petersburg, and it operates its own rail line through its warehouse development to the seaport in St. Petersburg. For more information, call (612) 338-7073 or fax (612) 338-6961.

Continental Transport & Moving, Inc.: Continental is a freight forwarding company offering a full range of transportation, warehousing, and packing services. The company specializes in moving freight to Central Asian and Caucasus regions of the NIS, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Continental offers freight forwarding solutions to companies of all sizes and moves freight ranging from household effects to oil and gas exploration equipment. The company also offers full service customs clearance. For more information, contact the company at tel./fax: (708) 388-7748; email sales@continentaltransport.com; or visit Continental online at: http://www.continentaltransport.com. To contact the company's regional office in Almaty, Kazakhsta, call +8 (3272) 617-582; mobile tel. +8 (3332) 101-154; or fax: +8 (3272) 617-824.

Farrell Lines: Farrell Lines operates a regular liner service to the Mediterranean and by extension of that service, offers through service to the following ports: the Ukrainian ports of Ilychovsk, Odessa and Mariupol, the Russian port of Novorossiysk, and the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi. Farrell has developed inland transportation capabilities from these ports to inland points in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakstan, Russia, and Ukraine. Service to the former Soviet Union includes the use of container ships with the capability to handle Ro-Ro and breakbulk cargoes, refrigerated, and full and less than container loads. Farrell Lines schedule service provides a sailing frequency of every 10 to 11 days from the East Cost of the United States. All costal areas of the U.S. are lined by an intermodal service to the East Coast Service. For more information, call (212) 440-4200 or fax (212) 440-4645. You can also visit Farrell Lines online at http://www.farrell-lines.com.

Freight Savers Shipping Co., LTD: Freight Savers is a licensed and bonded NVOCC carrier specializing in container transportation to Russia and the NIS. The company moves in excess of 1,500 containers per year into Russia. Container cargo destined for the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions is delivered via Kotka, Finland. Freight Savers operates a joint venture trucking company in St. Petersburg which delivers containers to Moscow and St. Petersburg, usually within 3-5 days from unloading in Kotka. Freight Savers offers Russian customs clearance services and multilingual staff at their offices in Kotka, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. Freight Savers also offers All-Risk marine Door-to-Door insurance coverage to interior destinations in Russia and the other NIS countries. For more information about the company, as well as to obtain rate quotations, and view sailing schedule call (201) 896-1118; fax (201) 896-8892; or visit the company online at http://www.freighttrans.com.

Freight Solutions International, LLC. (FSI): FSI is a San Francisco based international freight forwarder specializing in air and ocean freight forwarding and project cargo logistics. FSI operates seven branch offices in the U.S. that consolidate cargo and provide related export services, such as packing, crating, labeling, palletizing, freight insurance, documentation preparation, and letter of credit banking. Through its Austrian partner, Franz Welz Spedition International, FSI offers container service, part and full truck services, as well as air freight service on both an FOB and CIF basis to destinations throughout the NIS region. The company operates offices and bonded warehouses in Kiev, Odessa, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Brest, Minsk, Almaty, and Tashkent. Customs and transit clearance, storage, and distribution services are also available in most areas. For more information, call (650) 573-6990 or fax (650) 573-6991, or visit FSI online at http://www.freightsol.com.

Global Transportation Systems, Inc. (GTS): GTS is a full service international freight forwarder, outsourced logistics provider and project freight management company. Headquartered at Washington Dulles Int'l. Airport, GTS offers customized service plans to all NIS destinations and the world. Through its European and NIS offices, GTS manages complete FCL, Break Bulk, and LCL ocean service, and air freight service, to destination port, railhead, or to the consignee's door. GTS is directly affiliated with CIS Express Airline, Ltd., a Ukrainian flagged all cargo airline. With its own fleet of An-26, An-32 and An-12 aircraft stationed in Kiev and satellite-tracked trucks employed throughout the region, GTS offers its customers an array of routing options to fit budgets and delivery schedules. Dangerous goods, perishables, oversized and other cargoes welcome. Assembly and Distribution programs, including destination clearance and delivery available. For more information, call (703) 478-0075, U.S.A. 1-800-445-0775, fax (703) 661-6993, email: ops@gtsiad.com, or visit the company online at http://www.gtsiad.com.

Graebel Movers International: Graebel is a full service moving company headquartered in Springfield, VA, providing completed door to door relocation and logistic services to and from all destinations in the NIS and the globe. In the U.S., the Graebel network consists of 46 owned and operated service centers, satellite offices, international forwarding offices and van lines. To service customer requirements in the NIS, the company offers a variety of services through affiliate offices in Russia and Western Europe. English-speaking crews and multi-lingual forwarding teams support all Graebel relocation and logistic services. Routing is based on customer specifications of cost, transit time and security requirements. For more information, call 1 (800) 383-4644 or visit Graebel online at http://www.graebelintl.com/graebel/

International Freight Transport, Inc. (IFT): IFT is a New Jersey based full transport and logistics company specializing in ocean, air, rail, and road cargo services from the U.S. and Europe to Ukraine, as well as the other NIS countries. IFT's affiliated organization International Container Transport (ICT) maintains a fleet of trucks for the inland transport of container, breakbulk, and ltl cargoes to and from all points in Western Europe to Ukraine and other NIS countries. Import and export services are provided using all major Baltic and Black Seaports. Their port offices arrange for IFT/ICT personnel to be present at the discharge terminal to supervise and coordinate all cargo routed via all western European, Baltic or Black Seaports. In addition, the company owns and operates a bonded warehouse in Kiev and offers customs clearance services in all NIS countries. IFT's NIS office locations: Ukraine: Kiev, Illichevsk/Odessa, Donetsk, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankovsk, Lutsk, Lvov, Ternopol, Chernovzy, Khmelnitzky, Kazakstan: Almaty, Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Russia: Moscow, Tyumen, Yekatarinburg, Perm, Lithuania: Silute. For more information, call (908) 655 7888, fax: (908) 508 9803, email: john@ift.com, or visit IFT online at http://www.ift.com .

International Transport Services, Ltd. (ITS): ITS specializes in the shipping of dry and frozen cargo to destinations in the Russian Far East region. ITS offers through service to other destinations in Russia and the NIS, including rail service to Central Asian republics via the "China Land Bridge." ITS's affiliate, the ITS Group, has offices in Europe and Asia and NIS network that includes Moscow, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Vostochny, P-Kamchatskii, Yakutsk, Kiev, Almaty, Tashkent, and Bishkek. The company operates bonded warehouses in Moscow, Kiev, Tashkent, Almaty, Vladivostok, and Khabarovsk. In addition, ITS operates a bonded warehouse in Helsinki with regular truckage to St. Petersburg and Moscow. For more information, call (425) 688-8269 or fax (425) 688-8270.

International Transport Solutions, Inc. (ITS): ITS is an international air courier and airfreight company with its own network extending to the NIS region. ITS specializes indoor to door transport of all international, time sensitive documents, packages, and freight. The company also offers computerized tracking and tracing of shipments and volume discounts for frequent shippers. Deliveries to most NIS capitals range from two to three business days and air cargo service is available for large consignments. For more information, call 1-800-ITS-SHIP or fax (718) 276-8710, or visit ITS online at http://www.its-ship.com.

Lykes Brothers Steamship Company: Lykes Lines serves the former Soviet Union in several ways, including a new sea/air service. Lykes provides regular container service from inland points in the U.S. and from the U.S. gulf and east coasts to destinations in the former Soviet Union via the Russian ports of St. Petersburg and Novorossiysk, as well as Riga, Latvia, and Odessa, Ukraine. Recently, the Georgian port of Poti has been called on a regular basis due to the large amount of relief cargo available for Georgia and Armenia. Direct breakbulk service for project shipments and other large parcels of cargo is provide on inducement to destinations via such ports as St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, and Poti.

Lykes Lines has also introduced a new sea/air service from any mainland U.S. point to any viable airport in the former Soviet Union. The use of the sea/air service provides the advantages of delivery to the final destination by air to remote points in the region. For more information, call 1-800-535-1861 or fax (813) 276-4868, or visit Lykes Lines online at http://www.lykeslines.com.

Matrix International Logistics, Inc.: Matrix offers a broad range of transportation services, including shipping large and heavy cargoes, from the U.S., Europe, and Asia to the NIS region via the ports of St. Petersburg, Riga, Kotka, Hamina, Mariupol, Odessa, Novorossiysk, Poti, Batumi, Vostochny and Vladivostok, in addition to multiple border entry locations in Eastern Europe, Finland, Latvia, and Turkey. Matrix also has strategically located warehouses and storage yards throughout the former Soviet Union, including a warehouse in Moscow. For more information, call (703) 461-8700 or fax (703) 461-3679.

Network Americas, Inc.: Network Americas, Inc., provides intermodal container transport, in shipper owned or liner owned containers, of cargo from North America to the NIS region. Through strategic partner alliances with domestic North American trucking companies, ocean vessel operators and inland rail, truck and river-sea vessel operators in the NIS, Network provides door-to-door, port-to-door, or port-to-port services on cargoes from a single container to multiple container projects. For information on sailing schedules, rates, routing and transit time, please call (908) 245-7267; fax: (908) 245-5130; or email: nalnj@earthlink.net.

Orion Marine Corporation: Orion provides a variety of freight forwarding services, including express container and breakbulk, to Russian and NIS ports in the Baltic, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and the Far East regions. Orion also offers charter brokerage, transportation consultations, intermodal service, and more. For more information, call (312) 263-5153 or fax (312) 263-4233. To visit Orion online, contact http://www.orion-marine.com.

Pace International LCC.: Pace International is an international freight forwarding and transportation consulting company specializing in the shipment of cargo by ocean, railway, and road. The company's main concentration is in managing transportation of cargo from the U.S. to the NIS countries, including the Black Sea region. Pace International offers complete FCL, breakbulk, and LCL ocean service, door-to-door service, marine insurance, documentation and multilingual support. Pace International has also position seaport coordinators in most Black Sea ports to support cargo movement. For more information, call (914) 497-4790; fax: (914) 697-4794; email: info@pillc.com, or visit the company online at http://www.pillc.com.

RCL Agencies: RCL is a steamship agent incorporated in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1984, RCL specializes in the handling of full container loads between the 48 states and Canada, Europe, Russia, NIS, and the Far East. RCL's customer service includes immediate rates, detailed booking information, and accurate documentation. The company has moved over 12,000 containers to Russia in the past seven years. RCL offers weekly sailing and timely ocean transit combined with extensive intermodal capabilities. For more information, call (973) 779-5900; fax (973) 779-6842; or email: rcl@oceanfreight.com. You may also visit RCL on line at http://www.oceanfreight.com.

Reefco Logistics, Inc.: Reefco Logistics specializes in providing transportation services around the world, including Russia and the NIS, for agricultural and food products. Specific logistics services include reefer container service and reefer breakbulk, inland transport coordination, cold storage, export documentation, charters, and more. Reefco is also active in positioning vessels in the U.S. for use by U.S. exporters of all sizes. For more information, call (919) 850-9675 or fax (919) 878-4578.

Sea-Land: Sea-Land provides regular service from the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coasts of the United States to all areas of the region. Sea-Land calls the ports of Vostochny in the Russian Far East, the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, and the Baltic ports of Riga, Latvia, and St. Petersburg, Russia. The St. Petersburg facility includes their own secure off dock container yard. They are equipped to ship 20 and 40 foot containers, 40 foot high-cubes and can ship 40 foot refrigerated containers into Russia via Helsinki. Sea Land has signed an exclusive agreement with Sovmortrans to act as their local agent in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Together, they have established a joint venture trucking company that transports containers from St. Petersburg to inland points up to 2,000 kilometers away.

Sea-Land has also established the Trans-Siberian Express Service (TSES). This joint venture with the Russian Ministry of Railways, offers express rail containers service for both import and transit cargoes. The TSES border to border rail transit time is 13 days, approximately haves the distance of an all water service. Sea-Land will use its established transportation hubs throughout the region to forward 20 foot container shipments to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. From Tashkent, containers will be forwarded to final destinations throughout Central Asia. Currently, the existing transport facilities are being modernized to support the use of 40 foot containers. For more information, call (770) 732-5263 or fax (770) 399-4102, or visit Sea-Land online at http://www.sealand.com.

TRUCAT International, Ltd.: TRUCAT International was formed in 1991 to provide logistics services to the freight forwarding industry in moving materials into and through the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union. TRUCAT offers a full range of logistics services into and from the NIS region, including air freight, intermodal transport, project logistics, and customs clearance. TRUCAT has offices in the following NIS cities: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vyborg/Vysosk, Nakhodka, Nizhnevartovsk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Aktau, Almaty, Odessa, Kiev, Baku, Tashkent, Tallinn, Riga, and Minsk. For more information call TRUCAT's U.S. headquarters in Dallas, Texas at (214) 526-0940, or fax: (214) 526-2068.

Willis/McGraw International (W/McG Int'l.): W/McG Int'l. is a full service logistics provider, specializing in all areas of international transportation and documentation with a concentration in communications, electronics and computer equipment and software. The company provides shipping services to Russia and the NIS, including tailored support ranging from very small items to chartered aircraft. W/McG Int'l. operates warehousing facilities and provides standard or custom packaging and crating; prepares all required documentation, arranges transportation bookings, clearance within the country of destination, and delivery to the ultimate consignee. Shipments are tracked en route, and delivery confirmed. For more information call (703) 644-0524 or (703) 550-2504; fax (703) 550-1640, or e-mail the company at: wmcgintl@erols.com.

Zust Bachmeier (U.S.A.) Inc.: Zust Bachmeier is a full service, multi-mode project freight forwarder and logistics management company specializing in transportation services to the NIS and around the world. In the NIS, Zust Bachmeier offers freight services to all points in Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The company operates an office in Moscow and has a network of agents throughout the region. Zust Bachmeier offers a wide range of services, including vessel and aircraft chartering, transport rate negotiations, export documentation, letter of credit handling, process and bank negotiations, in addition to full warehousing capabilities. Project-oriented consolidation and coordination, special packaging over-dimensional skidding and crating are also available. In the NIS, Zust Bachmeier provides customs clearance, certification, warehousing/storage, inland movement by rail, truck or barge, and armed security escort. Zust Bachmeier employs its own computerized tracking system to control the movement and delivery of cargo to its final destination. For more information, call (281) 443-1313; fax: (281) 443-1046; or email: zbusa@zust.com.