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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
RF sends grain for export through the Arctic port of Murmansk for the first time, trying to bypass problems with routes through the Black and Baltic Seas, - Reuters
The first shipment of 3400 tons of grain is being loaded in Murmansk. The port is almost 2000 km north of Moscow, near Norway.
This route was also used during World War II: back then the Allies delivered cargoes to the USSR via Murmansk. Now the Kremlin is trying to turn it into an alternative route for its own exports.
The reason is disruption of regular logistics in the Black Sea due to the war unleashed by Russia itself, and in the Baltic Sea Moscow fears new risks because of the presence of NATO countries.
But for now it is more of an experiment than a full replacement for traditional routes, since 3400 tons is a very small shipment for one of the world’s largest grain exporters.
Reuters writes that about 28 thousand tons of wheat are also being prepared for shipment to Morocco in Murmansk. The port is ice-free, and ships can reach it via neutral waters without entering the Baltic Sea. However, the grain has to be transported from southern Russia over thousands of kilometers by rail. According to an assessment by Ukrainian foreign intelligence, this adds $18–25 in costs per ton.
Analysts estimate that Murmansk could potentially handle about 0,7–1,1 million tons of grain per year, whereas the Azov–Black Sea basin previously exported more than 46 million tons. So the new route may partially help Moscow, but it cannot replace the southern ports.
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