The Belarusian port in the Kola Bay and the possibilities of Murmansk: what are the prospects of the Union logistics

Construction of a terminal in the Kola Bay and transshipment of goods through the port of Murmansk: how the logistics cooperation between Belarus and northern Russia is developing

In March 2026, the Murmansk Bulk Terminal received a large batch of potash fertilizers of Belarusian production. Due to the difficult ice situation in the Gulf of Finland, potassium was diverted from the Baltic ports to the ice-free harbor of Murmansk, transshipped in a short time and sent to the consumer. This situation allowed us to take a fresh look at the scaling of logistics routes in the Union State. Last week, the National Transport Company of Russia and the Port Alliance logistics holding presented to the media the possibilities of the Murmansk transport hub for organizing sustainable export-import logistics of the association.

The history of the Murmansk port and Murmansk itself is, in fact, the history of logistics, and logistics in the context of geopolitical crises. The port appeared behind the Arctic Circle during World War I as a means of overcoming the blockade of the Black and Baltic Seas for the Russian Empire. In the Great Patriotic Harbour of Murmansk performed similar functions: through it went sea communication of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain. Today, Murmansk is once again gaining strategic importance, only the logistical crises in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea are added to the restrictions on Russia.

Pavel Oleinik. At first glance, it seems that this is very far away, but the situation there directly affects Russia and our region in particular. The situation in the world is unlikely to be stable any time soon. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. And in these conditions, it is extremely important to access all seas and maintain transport corridors that allow export and import of goods, says Pavel Oleynik, Executive Director of the Murmansk Commercial Sea Port and Murmansk Bulk Terminal.

The importance of the port of Murmansk primarily lies in the fact that its location allows ships to freely enter the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean without moving through foreign territorial waters. Therefore, Belarus is carefully studying the work with Murmansk as one of the potential partners on the Northern Sea Route and on ocean routes.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with the Governor of the Murmansk region Andrey Chibis in September 2022 said: The strategic topic is the reorientation of some Belarusian export cargoes, primarily potash fertilizers, to your ports. And not just potash fertilizer. We have decided that we will cooperate in this direction with the Murmansk region, despite the fact that we are already working in the area of St. Petersburg. The Northern direction will significantly complement our cooperation in the field of logistics. And I still believe that the Northern Sea Route will develop very rapidly someday. — Editor’s note) through the Arctic Ocean in the supply of goods to the Asian part of our planet. It'll be a bomb. If our cooperation goes well, we can seriously add millions of tons to develop this area.”.

In 2024, the government of the Murmansk region concluded an agreement with a Belarusian investor on the construction of a multifunctional transshipment complex of the republic on the western shore of the Kola Bay. This project has a clear synergistic effect for the members of the Union State: Belarus will receive a safe year-round corridor for goods, and the Murmansk region will gain a new impetus to development. At this point, the partners are at the stage of pre-investment development of project solutions. The second task for today is to identify opportunities for filling the future terminal with infrastructure. The construction of the Belarusian port is closely linked to the large-scale reconstruction of the entire Murmansk transport hub. We are talking about the expansion of access roads, and the tariff policy.

- We have an instruction from the President of Russia to triple the carrying capacity of railway approaches to the port of Murmansk and the capacity of port terminals, said Artem Kuksa, First Deputy Minister of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region. At the moment when we started working on the construction of the Belarusian port, some restrictions on carrying capacity arose. A comprehensive project for the development of the Arctic and the economy of the region can solve this problem not only for Belarusian cargo, but also for cargo traffic in the direction of Murmansk.

The second problem of shippers’ work in the northern direction is the tariff policy. The cost of transportation to Murmansk is more expensive than in the direction of the Baltic ports. The Russian Arctic government has begun consultations with federal authorities on the issue.

- At the recent Council for the Protection of Russia’s National Interests in the Arctic, he proposed to introduce a flexible tariff model – discounts on rail transportation to the ports of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor and icebreaker wiring under guarantees of cargo volumes. This is an honest formula: we attract new cargoes and international carriers, they take on obligations, said the Governor of the Murmansk region Andrey Chibis. “In parallel with the justification for the expansion of railways in terms of projected freight flows, we take into account the cargo of the Republic of Belarus, both in the technical part, and in finance, sources of financing,” adds Artem Kuksa. Again, the idea of building a Belarusian port is also tied to the expansion of railway approaches. In May this year, a delegation of the Belarusian Ministry of Transport visited Murmansk to study the possibilities of the local port as an additional corridor for sending Belarusian cargo. Partners from the Russian region are ready to provide all necessary support for the organization of cargo flows in the direction of the North.

- As an example, our large joint project on potassium. We found a mechanism by which the transportation of potash fertilizers from the Urals to Murmansk cost the same as in Ust-Luga, despite the fact that the tariff is much more expensive. Towards the port went, we met as owners of rolling stock, shipper. They made complicated technology. It would be great if the tariff for Murmansk was equal to or close to the tariff for the Baltic ports. But on the example of potassium, I want to emphasize: the northern ports work like clockwork. Through them, we clearly and predictably deliver cargo. This bundle, which is now working on the northern ports, helps and improves the whole work, reducing the cost of logistics, said Andrey Ryzhenkov, Director for Logistics and Tariff Regulation of the National Transport Company. The Murmansk route does not contrast itself with other transport corridors. Its role is to expand the capabilities of shippers, diversify export flows and strengthen the transport security of the Union State. The presence of several reliable routes and port hubs makes foreign trade more resilient to changing conditions. And the situation only confirms this thesis: a few months ago, the port of Murmansk was partially loaded only due to the transit of coal. But the situation in the world and in the Middle East in particular has dramatically changed the paradigm of operation: the port is now operating close to full capacity. Terminals work with fertilizers, Murmansk begins to accept metal and is preparing to handle the first batch of grain in history. This opens up new opportunities for logistics. The unpredictable situation on the popular sea routes of the planet, the comprehensive reconstruction of the Murmansk transport hub with the expansion of the carrying capacity of railways and the optimization of the tariff policy for the ports of the Russian North can significantly change the logistics landscape in the Union State.

korotkin@sb.by