Fesco Adds Second Container Ship to Vladivostok-Busan Route

Fesco Transportation Group has added a second container ship to the Korea Soviet Direct Line (KSDL) service, which connects the port of Vladivostok with Busan, South Korea. With the addition of this new 500 TEU vessel, the service frequency will increase to one sailing every four days.

The strengthening of the line responds to sustained cargo growth between the two countries. According to Fesco, in the first nine months of 2026 KSDL shipment volumes exceeded 42,600 TEU, up 12% from the same period the previous year, while imports grew 26% to reach nearly 28,000 TEU.

Alexander Rudenko, Fesco's Director of Integrated Transport in Vladivostok, explained that the company aims to integrate the ocean service with its own rail network from Vladivostok. This would allow cargo originating in South Korea to be moved not only to various regions of Russia, but also to Central Asian countries and to the Republic of Belarus.

Imports moving along this route consist mainly of motor oils, auto parts, chemical products, food and fruit, shipped from Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries via the Busan transshipment terminal. In the opposite direction, exports include forestry products, metals, vegetable and animal oils carried in flexitanks, as well as perishable goods in refrigerated containers.

Fesco, which is part of the Rosatom corporation, presented this fleet reinforcement as a direct response to the growth in maritime trade between Russia and South Korea recorded during 2026.