Sakhalin Shipping Company (SASCO) is a shipping company which provides ice-class ferry, cargo, and tramp service in Eastern Russia and along the Northern Sea Route. Headquartered in Kholmsk, on Sakhalin's west coast, the company provides 2/3 of all Russian cabotage and is the sole ferry service provider to Sakhalin.[1]
History
Early years
On October 27, 1945, the Sakhalin State Steamship Company (Sakhalin Godsmorparakhodtsvo) was formed from 13 vessels previously operated by the Nikolaev-on-Amur Shipping Company and several vessels from the Far East Shipping Company (FESCO).[2][3] The new shipping company was intended to promote the economic development of Sakhalin, which Russian had recently acquired from Japan. By 1951, the company's fleet had grown to 30 vessels and transported 2 million tons of cargo from Vladivostok to Sakhalin and other ports along the Sea of Okhotsk.