About 200 Lithuanian Trucks Still Remain in Belarus. They Might Not Be Taken Back
According to Erlandas Mikenas, head of the Linava carriers' association, even more than two months after Belarusian authorities allowed Lithuanian trucks detained in Belarus to return home, some of the transport vehicles – about 200 units – still remain in the country, writes LRT.
Illustrative image. Photo: Lookby.media
According to Erlandas Mikenas, no more than 200 vehicles remain in Belarus, including both tractors and semi-trailers. However, there is a high probability that these trucks will not return to Lithuania.
This is because their return is economically unviable: storage fees are very high and in some cases exceed the cost of the transport itself. For example, about 6,000 euros must be paid for one road train. Therefore, some companies are abandoning their vehicles, while others are still trying to raise money to get them back.
Additional difficulties arise due to sanctions: to retrieve the vehicles, payments must be made to a Belarusian company that is under European restrictions, which could be considered a violation of sanctions.
A representative of the Lithuanian border guard service reported that since late March, when the opportunity for return arose, up to a thousand trucks have already returned to Lithuania. The exact number is not currently being determined, as they have been returning very slowly lately — only a few vehicles per day.
The truck problem arose after Lithuanian authorities temporarily closed the border in response to the constant launch of contraband balloons from Belarus to Lithuania, which interfered with the operation of Vilnius Airport. The Belarusian side then prohibited Lithuanian trucks from moving through its territory and forced them to stand in special parking lots, for which payment is now required. Moreover, it did not change its position even for a considerable time after the border was reopened.
As for the current situation at the border, checkpoints are operating normally and without overload. A certain number of trucks pass through them daily, but the overall traffic flow has decreased. Queues have significantly reduced: whereas drivers previously could wait for days, now waiting usually takes only a few hours, and sometimes there are no queues at all.
Carriers note that overall cargo flows between Lithuania and Belarus are now minimal, as a significant portion of transportation has shifted to routes through Poland.
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