Prime Minister of Belarus assessed prospects of the Northern Sea Route
Handling of Belarussian cargo in Murmansk port in 3M’23 exceeded 95 thousand tonnes, 3 times more than over the entire 2022
Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko has highlighted the prospects of using the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and told about the Republic’s deliberate focus on Murmansk with its ice-free Kola Bay, reports press service of the Murmansk Region Government.
“We are deliberately going to Murmansk... There is a combination of absolutely unique factors here: the ice-free Kola Bay, free exits to two oceans. Everyone who works and will work here do not face risks potentially present in the Baltic Sea in terms of free movement of ships. Plus, the future is definitely with the Northern Sea Route. There is still much to be done in this respect. I have asked my colleagues to let us know about the prospects for the development and full-scale functioning of the NSR, but even without this it is clear that it actually offers a free access to the Atlantic,” said Roman Golovchenko.
He also praised the capacity of rail transport. “With the combination of all the factors in mind we have focused on the Murmansk Region ... The results speak for themselves: in 3 months of this year, our exports via Murmansk were 3 times as high as over the entire last year. I am sure that these figures will grow this year,” the Belarusian Prime Minister said.
Speaking about the plans to build a terminal for transshipment of Belarusian potash fertilizers in the port of Murmansk, he said: “Today I have to decide for myself and report to the head of state on the proposals of the Government for a final decision. Next, we will quickly move on to the stage of business planning and the legal framework of the transaction, taking into account that today the options have been sufficiently worked out."
According to Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, the key area of cooperation is logistics. “The construction of our terminal is one of the largest, global projects... As part of our colleagues’ visit, we will fix our plans,” commented the head of the region.
In January-April 2023, handling of Belarussian cargo in the port of Murmansk exceeded 95 thousand tonnes, 3 times more than in January-December 2022, Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis wrote on his Telegram page after the meeting with Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Belarus.
According to the Governor’s statement, the trade between the countries reached a record high level in 2022 - $286 million having shown almost 3-fold growth versus 2021. “In 2023, the rates do not decrease. In the first quarter, the mutual trade has already reached $77 million,” he said .
According to an earlier report of IAA PortNews, in September 2022, Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis announced a decision taken at the meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on handling оf of Belarus’ potash in the port of Murmansk. For that purpose, a terminal with annual capacity of 5-7 million tonnes will be built in on the western shore of the Kola Bay.
In general, the potential volume of Belorussian cargo to be handled in Russian ports is estimated at 30 million tonnes per year. As of today, 20 ports of Russia in the Baltic, Azov, Caspian and Black Sea basins handle foreign trade cargo of Belarus. The bulk of Belorussian cargo is handled by Great Port of Saint-Petersburg, Ust-Luga, Rostov-on-Don, Novorossiysk, Yeisk, Astrakhan and Olya.
