Russian firm plans on launching sea route to West Africa

(MENAFN) Russia is set to launch a direct shipping route from Novorossiysk, located on the Black Sea, to Lagos, Nigeria’s largest port city, in an effort to strengthen trade ties with West Africa, according to TASS and Interfax. The initiative, led by A7 Holding – a company founded by Andrey Severilov, former co-owner of Russian shipping company FESCO – is scheduled to begin in mid-June. Two chartered container ships, each capable of carrying 700 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), will operate along the route.

Severilov confirmed the project, stating that it is being implemented with the support of Russia’s trade mission in Nigeria. He also mentioned future plans to extend the route to Senegal. Maxim Petrov, Russia's trade representative in Nigeria, confirmed that the Novorossiysk-Lagos shipping corridor would help enhance the export of Russian agricultural products and equipment to Mali, while also facilitating the import of cotton from the landlocked country.

Petrov noted that there is growing demand from Mali for Russian agricultural products and equipment, and that trade turnover between Russia and Mali could increase significantly with the beginning of cotton exports to Russia. Mali produces over 650,000 tons of cotton annually.

Russia’s trade with African nations has seen significant growth in recent years. Earlier this month, Moscow’s food safety authority reported a record level of wheat exports to Africa, with Nigerian deliveries alone increasing fourfold to 210,000 tons in the first quarter of 2025. In December 2023, FESCO also launched a container route to Mombasa, Kenya, while other routes, including one connecting Egypt's El Dekheila port to Novorossiysk, have been established.

In February, Georgy Muradov, Russia's permanent representative to the president of Crimea, stated that the region is working to create direct trade links with Africa through new maritime routes.

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