Rusmarine was the first independent shipping agent in St. Petersburg. Set up in August 1991, it became agent for Maras Lines when the latter set up regular container line linking St. Petersburg with a string of important ports in North Europe.

In addition to being a line agent, Rusmarine also offered its services as port agent for ships at St. Petersburg’s Maritime Trade Port. In 1993, while continuing to operate at the Maritime Trade Port Rusmarine developed a capability for processing freight outside the port, operating as an independent terminal operator using quays belonging to Join-Stock Company Severnaja Verf. As a result the company was able to provide its clients with a better quality, competitively-priced freight-processing service.

Rusmarine’s continued partnership with Maras Lines resulted in 1995 in the company becoming agent for one of the major oceanic freight-carriers – P&O Containers. This enabled it to offer its clients a reliable and regular container service to almost any point on the planet.

While remaining agent for Maras Lines and P&O Containers and continuing to function as independent terminal operator, Rusmarine expanded its sphere of activities and in 1996 opened an office in Moscow.

Following subsequent reorganizations of the company, in 1997 the agent for what was by now the global Anlgo-Dutch freight-carrier P&O Nedlloyd was separated off into an independent structural unit called Ruscont. Concentrating its efforts on its agency operations, Rusmarine set up a new independent company – Rusmarine Forwarding – to take control of operation of the terminal at Severnaya Verf and of its warehouse facilities. Rusmarine Forwarding was established in January 1998 on the territory of the Baltic Customs Service.

The company’s current position shows that it has more than shaken of the effect of the financial crisis of 1998: in March 1999, while remaining agent for Maras Lines in St. Petersburg and Moscow, it became agent in Russia to the major Japanese freight-carrier NYK Lines.

Rusmarine’s success over such a long period of time in the dynamically developing market in transport services is largely due to the professionalism of its employees – among whom are many graduates of the Makarov State Maritime Academy, as well as former employees of the ministry of the Maritime Fleet.