Dear readers! We present to your attention the third issue of the LOGISTICS journal for 2025. Our editorial staff, like all our colleagues, is preparing for the TransRussia 2025 exhibition, the largest event in the industry. In this issue, we have prepared an interview with Natalia Lomunova, Director of TransRussia, with whom we are talking about a flexible approach, new participants and digital services. We continue the series of articles from P.V.
Dear readers! We present to your attention the first issue of the LOGISTICS journal in 2025. First of all, we would like to draw readers' attention to our new partner R1 Development, a development company that creates a new generation environment and specializes in the construction of industrial, logistics, commercial and residential real estate. One of the projects of R1 Development is the Druzhba industrial park network.
Dear readers! We present to your attention the final issue of the LOGISTICS journal in 2024. We have tried to make it rich and interesting. Today, many Russian companies operate under strict sanctions restrictions, which force them to reorient logistics flows. One of the possible solutions to this problem may be the Russia – Mongolia – China economic corridor. Details can be found in the article by Alexandra Kazunina.
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City of Antwerp and Antwerp Port Authority start urban mission to Moscow and St. Petersburg
An Antwerp delegation led by Mayor Bart De Wever is on an urban mission in Russia from 23 to 28 April visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg aiming to consolidate and expand the close trade relations between Russia and Antwerp and its seaport. Russia has indeed been one of the most important trading partners for decades. The mission started today with an Antwerp business seminar in Moscow. More than 100 Russian companies attended this event. The seminar sets a strong focus on digital innovation, one of both partners’ particular growth clusters.
"The city of Antwerp and the Port Authority have recently set up several new digital innovation projects. These will bring us sustained economic growth”, explains Mayor Bart De Wever. "Through this business seminar in Russia, we want to realize partnerships between Antwerp and Russian companies and attract investors to invest in our Belgian city.”
The Port of Antwerp in particular, Europe’s second largest port, offers many opportunities for further investments. Freight traffic between Russia and Antwerp has been on the rise for years. Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the Antwerp Port Authority, explains: “In 2017, more than 14 million tonnes of cargo have been transported between Russia and Antwerp. This makes Russia to our second most important trading partner at present. And there are still many opportunities for future cooperation. The digital transformation of the logistic business is in full gear and as a port, we want to enable the business development of our partners by acting as a catalyst for the digital opportunities. The new digital business portal NxtPort consolidates the data from the different sources and enables the development of targeted supply chain solutions."
Digital pioneer Antwerp
Together with the Port Authority, the University of Antwerp, the imec research institute and the employers federation Agoria, the city created “The Beacon”, a business and innovation hub for heavyweights in the IoT. Key objective is to build a distinctive ecosystem bringing together corporates, start-ups, research, academia, sponsors on IoT applications for logistics, industry and smart city. The city of Antwerp has the clear ambition to be a true Capital of Things open to international ideas and innovation.
Smart city
The city of Antwerp and research institute imec have set up a smart zone, a part of the city where experiments in smart city applications are taking place. Imec is developing the largest living lab in Europe. The commitment of citizens is crucial in this smart city approach. Smart lighting, smart mobility, smart logistics are the first projects.
Pitch for Russian start-ups
During the business seminar in Moscow, Antwerp fulfils its brand promise of being open for business and organized a competition for Russian innovators. Five Russian start-ups presented their projects to an Antwerp expert jury. The winning start-up of this pitch is CPS LAB, which develops complex integrated solutions for the industry based on smart bracelets, tags and the industrial platform of Internet of Things. The solutions are aimed in particular at increasing efficiency and ensuring the safety of employees, objects and cargo. Their modular architecture allows for configuration of the bracelets with all required functions, hardware and software. In addition, this enables CPS LAB to develop solutions that meet the tasks and requirements of all industries. The winner is now invited to spend a month in Antwerp free of charge to discover business opportunities in the city. In doing so, Antwerp is fulfilling its brand promise of 'open for business'.
Port of Antwerp as logistics hub for Russian supply chain
The Port of Antwerp has a long tradition as a European gateway for Russian trade flows. Transported goods include chemical products, steel, project cargo and container cargo. And this strong partnership is growing. Early February this year, the Arctic Shipping Company launched a new multipurpose liner service connecting St. Petersburg and Antwerp biweekly.
And the Port of Antwerp wants to continue to offer the best opportunities for Russian shippers, shipping companies and logisticians. “We are working hard to become a 'port of the future' by implementing IoT projects which will also benefit our Russian partners”, says Jacques Vandermeiren. As part of this commitment, the Port of Antwerp is implementing intelligent technologies in port infrastructure and services. Examples are the smart Deurganck dock for efficient shipping operations or the digital business enabler NxtPort for smart supply chain solutions.
The next stop of the urban mission will be St. Petersburg on 25-27 April. Antwerp and St. Petersburg are celebrating 60th anniversary of their town twinning this year.
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