Federal Law No. 302-FZ amended the Code of Merchant Shipping of the Russian Federation. The document prescribes obtaining certificates for containers and containers strictly from domestic organizations authorized to classify and inspect vessels. The effective date is September 1, 2027.
This was announced by Andrey Kozlov, Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy in the field of Sea and River Transport of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, at the X RS conference "Containers and Container Transportation — 2026".
"Federal Law No. 302 has been adopted, and it will enter into force on September 1, 2027. This is an amendment to the Merchant Shipping Code of the Russian Federation, which prescribes container owners and shippers to obtain certificates for containers and containers from Russian organizations authorized to classify and inspect ships."
Authorized organizations are required to develop rules for issuing certificates before the law comes into force. According to Kozlov, safety and compliance with the requirements of Russia's international treaties remain a priority, but the rules must take into account the interests of all participants in transportation and minimize their time and material costs.
"These organizations, in turn, should develop such rules for issuing certificates that will take into account the interests of all participants in transportation, minimizing their time and material costs. However, safety and strict compliance with the requirements of international treaties of the Russian Federation must remain a priority."
The Ministry of Transport declares a course for a seamless transition: the requirements are planned to be uniform and understandable in application. Automation will become a key risk reduction tool — electronic identification cards should eliminate the possibility of providing false documents both by participants in the transport process and by regulatory authorities.
"The automated process of obtaining and issuing electronic identity cards minimizes the possibility of providing false documents by participants in the transport process and regulatory authorities."
The innovation fits into the broader digitalization agenda of the transport industry. The state is forming a single digital transportation space based on the national Gosuslugi platform as a single window for market participants and government agencies. Since September 1, 2025, electronic document management in transport has become mandatory.
For shippers and container owners working in international supply chains, the change has practical consequences already now: by 2027, it is necessary to clarify which organizations will receive the status of authorized ones and integrate them in advance into the process of documentary cargo support. There are more than 300,000 containers under the supervision of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping — the scale of the upcoming document management restructuring is significant.
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