• 2008 June 26

    Who is to build a new port?

    As early as in 2007, the construction of a deep sea port in Archangelsk was called one of the most important projects on Russia’s port infrastructure development. However, it is still not clear who is to become the project’s investor and how the project is to be implemented. The Dutch enterprises show a great interest in the project, the Dutch General Consul in St. Petersburg Edward Hoeks said. Meanwhile, experts are not sure about absolute attractiveness of Archangelsk for shipping lines though they admit that construction of Belkomur railway is to raise the port’s transport availability.

    According to Mr. Hoeks, the Dutch companies are eyeing participation in construction of a deep sea port in Archangelsk. RBC cites Mr. Hoeks as saying that the Netherlands is interested in supply of dredging equipment and construction of berthage. “Establishment of close partnership between the Archangelsk region and the Netherlands will make it possible to multiply the port’s throughput,” Mr. Hoeks said.

    The construction of new deep sea port was announced at the meeting held in September 2007, in Archangelsk. Aleksandr Davydenko, Head of Russia’s Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot), said “we are to build an up-to-date commercial port near Archangelsk having correlated it with the project on Belkomur railway construction.” According to the head of Rosmorrechflot, the new port will be capable of handling up to 30 million tonnes of fertilizers per year from Berezniki and Solikamsk fields, as well as oil cargo directly from the northern oil-and-gas fields. Aleksandr Davydenko says new ice-class tankers, which are under construction today, will enter the port provided that it is deep enough.

    Commercial seaport of Archangelsk accepts vessels with length of up to 9.2 meters, length of up to 175 meters and breadth of up to 30 meters. The port’s major problem is insufficient depth, which sets limits to the capacity of vessels at 20,000-30,000 tonnes. Thus the port being unable to handle large-capacity vessels is loaded for only 40%, while the demand of cargo carriers for transshipment facilities is not satisfied by other ports.

    According to the Administration of Archangelsk Commercial Seaport, the port handled 2.1 million tonnes of cargo in January-May, 2008, (12.9%, year-on-year). In the reported period, transshipment of machines and equipment amounted to 4,700 tonnes (up 5.6 times, year-on-year). In the sector of incoming coastal trade cargo, transshipment of containerized cargo fell by 28.4%, year-on-year, to 1,900 tonnes, transshipment of ferrous metal totaled 1,800 tonnes (no ferrous metal was handled in January-May 2007), other general cargo - 68,400 (+10.6%). Transshipment of export containerized cargo amounted to 15,900 tonnes (+39.3%, year-on-year), timber - 236,100 tonnes (+4.7%), cellulose – 42,000 tonnes (+38.3%, year-on-year), cardboard and paper - 10,900 tonnes (+61%).

    The administration of Archangelsk region plans to build a new deep sea port at the White Sea bay near the Mudyug island. The new port is to specialize in transshipment of containers and loose dry cargo as well as in support of development of the northern oil-and-gas fields. Cargo delivery is to be ensured by the Belkomur railway linking the Urals and Siberia with the North-West ports without crossing the center of Russia thus cutting the distance. Theproject was suspended in 2002 due to insufficient financing. In 2006, Administrations of the Perm region and Komi Republic suggested that the project should be resumed. The railway route is to link Solikamsk-Gainy-Saktyvkar-Archangelsk. The application for allocations for railway construction from the Investment Fund is to be furnished by July 1. Not only southern and northern parts of Belkomur, but the approaches to the port of Archangelsk are to be financed by built to the Investment Fund as well.

    There are certain investors attracted by the heads of the North-western regions for construction of Belkomur, while the port of Archangelsk has no determined investor yet. Meanwhile, the plan for construction of Archangelsk deep sea port is included into the draft conception of the RF long-term socioeconomic development. The plans for creation of a special economic zone of port type in the Archangelsk region failed to be brought to life as Archangelsk had no bid in the first stage of the tender.