Русский
Murmansk has received the status of a ‘Strategic Transport Hub’ and is eligible for more state-level funding and development. The move, prioritized by Russian President Vladimir Putin comes as Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, advised that the Baltic Sea could turn into an inland sea for NATO as Finland and Sweden has joined the Alliance. While the Baltic Sea has international shipping lanes, recent Western behaviour as regards apprehending ships in such waters means that harassment is likely to increase. The alternative is to make the transshipment of goods via Murmansk one of the main transport routes for Russia.
Murmansk is the only year-round ice-free port in European Russia, and has direct access to the North Atlantic. Patrushev said that the importance of Murmansk now will be just as it was “in the years of the Great Patriotic War.”
The flagship project of this is the creation of the Lavna sea terminal, which was launched in March 2025. The comprehensive development project of the MTH also includes the creation of transport infrastructure, including the construction of coal and oil terminals and the development of railway infrastructure, as well as the reconstruction of the coal terminal and the construction of a container terminal on the eastern shore of the Kola Bay. The project completion is scheduled for the end of 2026.
After the completion of these works, the total carrying capacity of the railway approaches to the port of Murmansk will increase to 45 million tons, of which 18 million tons will be on the new 50 km railroad that will increase connectivity and freight between Murmansk and the Russian national railway system.
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