Bet on the Azov market has been rising for the last two weeks. Spot fleet is now virtually no demand for tonnage increases. According to market participants, grain prices, basis FOB Azov port are dropped so that by the importers appeared a trend of renewed demand for the commodity. The market is also supported by the major Charterers who need to fulfill their contractual obligations and there is no way to disrupt the program.

Part of the Russian-flag fleet has already begun hard work on transit flights and flights from the river. Bagaevskiy hydroelectric station, Volgograd gateway and the Volga-don canal open on 1 April and river Charterers are showing increased interest in tonnage under the Russian flag. Rates for the flights from Rostov will increase due to the redeployment of the fleet to the river.

It is observed that many Traders involved in trade with Iran, work through the options with the purchase of corn in the ports of Azov and its further transit to the Caspian sea for vdsk. Due to the fact that the price of corn in it, oriented at the Turkish market, the region is significantly lower than in the Caspian sea, and given the low transit rates at the beginning of navigation, the Traders are considered as similar contracts. The problem is that many ship-Owners, whose fleet is positioned on the Azov specifically taken out because of Iranian sanctions, and few are now willing to consider connecting flights it on Iran.

Stringent weight restrictions, introduced last year, significantly reduced the possibilities of cargo delivery by motor transport from the Volga region to the ports of the Astrakhan region, and therefore, with the opening of navigation, there is an increased demand for tonnage able to be loaded at river elevators that will lead to higher rates of Astrakhan and other seaports of the region.