CaroTrans starts Baltic/CIS service from New York

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier CaroTrans said Monday it is expanding its network into the Baltic and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) markets, including services into Russia.
   The first of what CaroTrans said will be “many future services” is a direct, weekly less-than container load (LCL) and full container load (FCL) export service from New York to Klaipeda port in Lithuania.
   The first sailing of the service departed New York on April 22 with arrival in Lithuania May 11.
   The expansion is based on a dedicated partnership with the Delta Logistics Group (DLG), a full-service global logistics company well established in the Baltic and CIS region, including Moscow where it a local office.
   “In 2012, Russia became part of the World Trade Organization (WTO), bringing greater confidence and stability to businesses and trading partners, as well as strengthening their place in the global economy,” CaroTrans said in a statement.
   “Our expansion in the Baltics and CIS is a major step in developing the scope of CaroTrans’ worldwide service network,” said the NVO’s Chief Executive Officer Greg Howard.
   Alexander Kosachev, previously from St. Petersburg, Russia, recently joined CaroTrans at its New Jersey headquarters to support and grow CaroTrans’ Baltic/CIS services.
   The Baltic states include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and the Customs Union covers Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The economic union, known as the Commonwealth of Independent States, is made up of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. – Eric Johnson