* This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Fesco, one of Russia's largest transportation companies, plans to forge closer ties with Asian markets following a significant drop in trade with the West, its chief executive Arkady Korostelev told Reuters.

Scores of Western businesses cut their ties with Russia after Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The move triggered sweeping Western sanctions against Russia, while the world's three largest container shipping lines, Denmark's Maersk, France's CMA CGM and Swiss-based MSC, suspended bookings to and from Russia.

"The market has been transformed and re-oriented from the West to Asian directions, that's why we expect new partners, new clients from there," Korostelev told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok last week.

Separately, Russia's largest freight container operator TransContainer aims to invest more than $300 million in the east as China leads a recovery in Asian imports and exports.

After a four-month decline, Chinese exports to Russia grew robustly in July, while shipments from Russia, a major source of oil, gas, coal and agricultural commodities for China, also held up well.

Fesco, which operates ports - including the port of Vladivostok - terminals and fleets of vessels, expects the key operations metric of container turnover this year to be at least the same as in 2021, Korostelev said.

He added that the company does not plan to cut investment.

"We have 22 vessels now. We plan to buy three more by year-end...Our investment programme includes developing the fleet as one of our key businesses and areas of expertise."

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Monday said more than 300 vessels would be built and given to transport companies by 2030. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)