Russia’s Murmansk commercial port plans to use fertiliser-handling equipment for its first grain exports, with shipments from southern Russia potentially starting as early as next month. According to a Reuters report published by gCaptain, the move offers an alternative outlet while the Black Sea export route remains closed following Ukrainian drone attacks.
The port said on Tuesday that grain would be transferred directly from railway wagons into ships’ holds using a system normally employed for potash shipments. It is also modifying its conveyors to accommodate greater grain volumes. Murmansk has not previously handled grain, making the planned shipments a new cargo activity for Russia’s fourth-largest port.
Murmansk lies 2,700 km from Novorossiysk, Russia’s principal grain export gateway. Its Arctic location puts it considerably farther from Ukraine than Russia’s Baltic ports, and vessels can reach it through neutral waters, unlike those Baltic facilities, the report said. Russian companies have also been converting fertiliser, coal and other cargo terminals in the Baltic and Arctic regions to handle grain, Reuters reported on Monday.
The loading arrangement differs from that at modern dedicated grain terminals such as those in Novorossiysk, where storage elevators allow operators more flexibility. The report described the use of direct wagon-to-ship transfers at converted facilities as a sign of the urgency of re-establishing export flows. Murmansk operations director Andrei Riznichenko said Russian producers needed a range of dependable export logistics options to support the national economy.
Murmansk’s annual cargo-handling capacity is up to 24 million metric tonnes, although that figure covers the port rather than a dedicated grain operation. Analysts cited in the report expect Russian grain exports in July–September to fall by half because of closures affecting Black Sea and Sea of Azov ports. The disruption has depressed domestic grain prices and left unsold stocks accumulating. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia was seeking alternative export routes.