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The port of Murmansk is welcoming a large increase in cargo traffic, which is tied to the confluence of geopolitical events, including what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the EU’s desire to switch itself off from energy and trade with Russia. Pavel Oleynik, Executive Director of the Commercial Port of Murmansk and Murmansk Bulk Terminal, said this.
“A few months ago, Murmansk port was underused, which made people question whether it could survive, but today we are seeing a big rise in cargo traffic,” Pavel Oleynik said.
According to the executive, even though they are far away geographically, conditions in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz have a direct effect on Russia and certain regions: transport flows shift while conditions stay unstable and hard to predict in the near future.
In Pavel Oleynik’s opinion, to stay competitive in today’s conditions, “Russia must keep outlets to all oceans and keep all transport corridors in normal condition, allowing the import and transit of goods.” As an example, the executive pointed to the port of Murmansk: it stayed underused for long periods, but in current conditions it allowed flows displaced from the Black Sea and the Baltic to be redistributed. The port has direct ocean access, and this advantage enhances its importance during any unstable developments, acting as a working relief valve.
Also, Pavel Oleynik thinks that universal ports allow traffic to expand and change direction quickly, unlike specialized facilities. This is true for Murmansk as well as other ports, with similar trends seen in Saint Petersburg and Kandalaksha. This factor must be taken into account in a changing world, the executive stressed.
Commercial Port of Murmansk JSC is the only universal port in the European part of the country, with direct access to the global ocean and year-round navigation. The port handles a wide range of bulk and general cargoes, including heavy lift and oversized items. The main advantage of the company is dispatching large consignments over long distances aboard Capesize bulk carriers (with deadweights from 180 thousand tonnes). The facility can take vessels with displacements up to 210 thousand tonnes. The transshipment capacity of the Commercial Port of Murmansk reaches 24 million tonnes of cargo annually.
Murmansk Bulk Terminal is part of the general management perimeter of Commercial Port of Murmansk JSC. The facility focuses on transhipping mineral fertilizers and bulk cargoes, with a capacity to process 8.7 million tonnes of cargo annually. Freight turnover of Murmansk Bulk Terminal totaled 2.8 million tonnes following 2025 results.
