The statistics for Russian seaports cargo volumes for the first eleven months 2012 shows a decline of cargoes in the Arctic basin by nine percent. Dry bulk cargo, however, had a rose by 8,4 percent in the northern region.
In Murmansk, a port that both federal and regional authorities continuously emphasize as the most strategically important in the Arctic, had a decline in cargo handling by ten percent to 21,2 million tons in the period January to November this year. The statistics are reported by Hellenic Shipping News.
The port of Arkhangelsk throughput rose 20 percent to 4,9 million tons, still considerable lower than Murmansk.