Russia eyes Chennai-Vladivostok maritime trade route with India

Push for dedicated shipping link comes as Moscow turns to Asia amid sanctions

- Nirmala Ganapathy

The growing energy trade between India and Russia has powered up a long-time plan to connect the South Indian port city of Chennai to Vladivostok, Russia's port city in its Far East region, which China recently started using as a transit hub.

The effort to push up shipping volumes and create a dedicated shipping link comes as Moscow turns to Asia amid Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Already, the volume of oil and coal moving through this corridor has seen a substantial increase due to India's imports of discounted Russian oil and coal.

According to Indian government trade figures accessed by The Straits Times, Chennai Port in FY2024 handled 300 thousand metric tonnes (TMT) of crude oil, and in FY2025, it is expected to handle 600 TMT.

The port has already handled 400 TMT in the last four months. In India, the financial year is calculated from April 1 to March 31.

"If you have to bring oil from Russia, then that becomes a better route," said an official.

Still, it is not trade alone that is driving this push.

Beyond the commercial aspect, India is also looking at better access to the Vladivostok port from a strategic angle to boost its presence in the Indo-Pacific.

The port of Vladivostok, which is in a region with oil and gas, has also come into greater focus amid the South Asian nation's ambition to increase its global footprint, and a hunt for energy to power its fastgrowing economy.

For Russia, too, increased connectivity with India is becoming of greater importance.

Professor Anuradha Chenoy, adjunct professor at the Jindal Global University, noted that Russia is also putting a lot of resources and investment into developing its Far East interests and is looking to Asia, including India and China, for investors, with Western options now out due to the war in Ukraine.