Forget about boring reports and graphs from presentations for a minute. Until a few years ago, the abbreviation BRICS elicited only a polite nod from the majority. Well, an interest club, big developing countries, gather, drink coffee, discuss something global. Today, the world that seemed so stable suddenly burst at the seams, and this "club of interests" suddenly turned into a tectonic force that is reshaping the map of world trade right before our eyes.
The very heart of these changes is BRICS logistics. This is not just the transportation of goods from point A to point B. This is a new need and a new reality. We'll take a look at how it works. We'll take a look at Africa, see how cargo is going there, and assess what role it plays in this.Russia. And let's see why exporting to Brazil and shipping to South Africa are the areas you should keep an eye on if you don't want to wake up one day in a world you no longer understand.
New routes on the old map: Goodbye, atlases!
Do you remember the old maps in the dusty school atlas? For a very long time, world trade has been living along similar, long-established and well-known routes. Now imagine that someone hacked this system, opened Google Maps and turned on the option to show shortcuts that no one knew about. That's exactly what's happening.
One of the main directions is undoubtedly the North-South Corridor (INSTC). It's not just a line on the map, it's a real cargo flow. Think about it: to ship a container from Russia to India not in 45-60 tedious days through the well-known but recently troubled Suez Canal, but in just 15-24 days. It's as if you decide to take a shortcut through an unfamiliar but fast courtyard, instead of walking around the entire block through traffic jams. Saving up to 30% on shipping is no longer just a pleasant bonus, it's real money that remains in your pocket, and a serious trump card in the competition. This means that your product gets on the shelf faster, you get paid faster, and you turn around capital faster.
The Chinese megaproject "One Belt, One Road" is a whole parallel universe of logistics that entangles the planet like a giant spider web, connecting Asia, Europe and Africa. And even ambitious, almost fantastic.The Arctic corridor, where Russia, China and India are betting that the melting ice will open a new, northern sea route. It's a risky game, but if it succeeds, the rules will change for everyone. All of these are parts of one big mosaic that is taking shape right now.
South Africa as the main gateway of the continent
When we talk about cargo transportation to Africa, in the context of BRICS, all eyes immediately turn to the Republic of South Africa. And this is not accidental. South Africa is a strategic foothold, the southern gateway to the entire continent, the key to a huge and fast—growing market.
A billion dollars are being poured into the port of Durban so that it can handle almost ten times as many containers. This is not just a repair or upgrade. This is a bid for leadership in the southern part of the planet. And the Bayhead railway terminal, recently opened there, is generally the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Imagine a giant hub that sorts goods arriving by sea with incredible speed and immediately sends them by rail deep into the continent. It is the center of commerce for the whole of South Africa.
Russia is far from being on the sidelines here. The main item of our delivery to South Africa is chemical products, in particular fertilizers. In 2022, we sent them there for a quarter of a billion dollars. This figure speaks for itself.
Russia-BRICS Link: not just trade, but the architecture of the future
Speaking of the bundle,BRICS Russia, it is extremely important to understand that the country does not act simply as a seller or buyer. Russia today is one of the main architects of this new logistical reality. While chairing the bloc in 2024, the Russian side focused specifically on transport connectivity. This is not an accident, but a strategy.
Russia is a key driver of the North-South corridor, which, in fact, gives us direct and quick access to the markets of Iran and India, and from there, ports in Africa and the Middle East are just around the corner. This is our insurance against the vagaries of the old logistics routes, which today can be blocked at the click of a finger.
And the export to Brazil? This is generally a separate, fascinating story. In 2023, Russia supplied over $3 billion worth of fertilizers there. This is a huge amount! To prevent such flows from getting stuck in port traffic jams, Brazil is building giant railways. One of them, FIOL, as an artery, will connect agricultural regions directly with ports. And the other one is supposed to cross the entire continent and give the country access to the Pacific Ocean, bypassing the Panama Canal. Can you imagine the scale? It's not just logistics, it's reshaping the economic geography of an entire continent.
Of course, not everything is so smooth. Reality makes adjustments
It's naive and even stupid to believe that this whole giant system is being built without a hitch. The new system is like a young, rapidly growing teenager: full of strength and ambition, but sometimes clumsy and unpredictable.
The cost of container shipping can suddenly double, turning a perfectly calculated deal into an economic quest with an uncertain outcome. Customs at one of the ports may "ponder" your cargo for a couple of extra weeks, and one missing stamp can freeze a million dollars' worth of shipments. Somewhere there are not enough modern warehouses, normal roads, and in some areas, of course, goods can simply be stolen. This is reality, and it needs to be taken into account.
But it is precisely to solve these problems that common digital platforms are being created, and the New BRICS Development Bank is investing billions in bridges, roads and ports. The process is going on, with a creak, with difficulties, but it is going on.
So what does all this mean to you?
BRICS logistics today is not a frozen textbook scheme, but a living, breathing and constantly changing organism. It resembles a complex puzzle, where every transport corridor, every upgraded port and every new railway is a detail that falls into place, changing the whole picture. For businesses, this means one thing: there are new, faster, cheaper and, most importantly, more reliable ways to deliver their goods to markets that seemed remote and inaccessible yesterday.
To ignore this is to voluntarily remain on the sidelines of history. To adapt means to gain access to enormous opportunities for growth. Do you want your business to become a part of this big game? It's time to explore new routes.
