“The capacity of Russian Arctic ports will increase from 72million tons in 2013 to 115 million tons of cargo per year over the next 15 years,” RosMorPort Deputy Director Sergey Antonov said, according to Morskie Vesti. “In 2013, the capacity of the ports in the Arctic Basin was estimated at 72 million tons per year, while the actual turnover was only 46 million tons. This means that only 60 percent of the ports’ existing capacity was in use,” Antonov noted.
Antonov noted that Arctic ports presently account for eight percent of Russia’s total cargo turnover, and that the ports which witness the most traffic are those with well-developed infrastructure, including railway connections. These include the ports of Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Vitino and Kandalaksha. The Sabetta port in Yamal is expected to add 16.5 million tons of capacity, while a second terminal for the unloading of oil on the Yamal peninsula is expected to raise capacity by another 8.5 million tons. “Furthermore, the large project for the redevelopment of the Murmansk commercial port will add 2 million tons of capacity,” Antonov noted.
