A port for bulk cargo for the handling of Belarusian goods, including potash fertilizers, is to be built in the Murmansk region. This was announced during the negotiations between the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Roman Golovchenko.
A large delegation from Belarus visited the Murmansk region back in May 2023. Since then, the local authorities have been actively involved in starting to implement the large-scale project.
The governor of the Arctic Kola region, Andrey Chibis, said that preparations had begun for the construction of a port for cargo from Belarus on the western shore of Kola Bay.
Roman Golovchenko emphasized that relations between the two friendly countries are actively developing in the transport and logistics sector. He noted that enormous work has been done in this direction. So far, a system for the delivery of goods via ports in the north-west of Russia has already been successfully established.
Belarus is one of the world’s largest suppliers of potash fertilizers. EU sanctions prohibit Belarusian companies from shipping their products via the territory of Lithuania to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda. Before the EU sanctions, the transit volume of potash fertilizers from Belarus exported through Lithuania amounted to around 12 million tonnes per year.
An agreement has been signed on the construction of a port in the Murmansk region for the transshipment of goods from Belarus. This was reported on the Telegram channel of the regional governor Andrei Chibis. According to him, the estimated capacity of the port will reach 25 million tons per year.
Construction of the infrastructure for the new port as part of the Murmansk transport hub project is scheduled for completion in December 2024.
Belarusian fertilizers are also exported via the St. Petersburg port of Bronka. The additional freight volume from Belarus has helped the port of Bronka reach the break-even point in 2023.
Andrei Chibis: “The new port will not only increase cargo handling between the countries, but will also provide a strong impetus for the economic development of the region. These are new jobs and social stability for the inhabitants of the Murmansk region.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal
