Shipping to Russia in December: how to avoid the warehouse backlog
Groupage shipments from Rotterdam, Warsaw and Vilnius leave once a week, and in December the competition for a slot in the next dispatch gets tighter. Here is when to have the goods ready for us, and which corridor to choose if your customer needs the cargo before year end.
In short
Our consolidation warehouses in Rotterdam, Warsaw and Vilnius dispatch groupage once a week — usually on Fridays or Mondays — and in December the competition for a slot in the nearest dispatch increases.
If your Russian customer needs the goods before the end of the year, for sea and road groupage it is sensible to have the lot ready for collection, or delivered to our warehouse, in the first days of December.
For urgent or small lots that cannot slip, a dedicated truck (FTL) remains available — it does not depend on the weekly warehouse schedule.
Why December is not an ordinary month
Groupage via [Rotterdam](/usluga/lcl-rotterdam), [Warsaw](/usluga/consolidation-warsaw) and [Vilnius](/usluga/consolidation-vilnius) is consolidated at the warehouse and leaves in a single weekly dispatch — normal groupage economics, but it means missing one cut-off pushes the lot back a full week.
December adds Christmas and New Year non-working days across the EU — several days when the warehouse is closed fall exactly in the period when demand for dispatch is already above normal.
For a wholesale lot — motor oil, tyres, spare parts — that your Russian buyer needs delivered and booked in before year end, a missed week in December costs more than in any other month.
If you deliver the lot to the consolidation warehouse yourself, build in time on your own side too: December is also a high-load period for many European dispatch departments, and a lot can miss the nearest weekly cut-off simply because it left your premises a day late.
Which corridor to choose when time is tight
Sea groupage via Rotterdam — from €693 per pallet space (1.6 m³), 8 days in transit once the vessel sails; the most economical option for a volume that is not time-critical, but build in a buffer in case the Friday container closing is missed.
Road groupage via Warsaw — from €850 for 3 pallets, 3–5 days once the truck departs; via Vilnius — from €300 per pallet, but Lithuanian customs is the strictest in the EU, and the December rush increases the risk of a delay at export clearance.
If your customer needs a guaranteed date, a dedicated truck via our [FTL service](/usluga/ftl-poland) departs as soon as the lot is ready, not on the warehouse timetable — from €4,500 Warsaw → Moscow, from €6,500 Italy → Moscow, 3–8 days depending on the country of dispatch.
Sanctions screening comes first
We only handle goods that are not subject to EU, UK, Swiss or US sanctions. Before we quote, we check the HS code of every item and screen all parties to the deal; if a product or a party is restricted, we decline the order, whatever the route or the price.
How Tranzit3 helps
Tranzit3 runs its own consolidation warehouses in Rotterdam, Warsaw and Vilnius and warns suppliers ahead of every December cut-off, so a lot is not left out of a dispatch.
We pick the corridor for your customer’s date: groupage if there is time to spare, or a dedicated truck if the December deadline is firm. We work only with companies and sole traders, from 50 kg, minimum service fee €200.
Send us a request and we will confirm the nearest available dispatch date; more on the corridors in our [guide to shipping from Europe](/gid/dostavka-iz-evropy).
Questions and answers
When should a lot reach the warehouse to make it before the Russian New Year?
For sea via Rotterdam or road groupage via Warsaw and Vilnius, aim to have the lot ready in the first days of December — both run on a weekly schedule, and each missed cut-off adds a week.
Is a dedicated truck (FTL) affected by the December rush?
Less so — it departs once your lot is ready rather than on a warehouse timetable, which makes it the more reliable option for a December delivery that cannot slip.
Do EU holidays close the warehouses?
Yes, Christmas and New Year non-working days fall within the warehouse schedule, which is exactly why booking a December dispatch early matters.
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