Murmansk Details Current Status of Belarusian Port Construction

The construction of a Belarusian port in this region first became known in April 2024. After two years of negotiations, Belarus and Russia signed an agreement on the creation of a terminal for transshipping Belarusian goods. The project is being implemented by the company "Marine Terminal 'Gates of the Arctic'" (Marynski Terminal "Varoty Arktiki"), registered in Mishukovo village, Murmansk Region. 99% of the company belongs to the Belarusian "Logistic Energy" (Lahistyk Enerdzhy), with another 1% owned by Belarusian citizen Nelly Malyarova, who also owns this company. The former deputy chairman of Belneftekhim and former head of Belshina, Andrei Bunakov, became the general director of the terminal.

The port was conceived as a multimodal complex with the possibility of accommodating a container terminal. It is planned to handle bulk cargo, mineral fertilizers, and oil products here. The estimated capacity should be 25–30 million tons of cargo per year.

Initially, the facility was planned to be launched in 2028. However, during the project's preparation, it became clear that the capacity of the railway lines leading to the Murmansk port terminals is insufficient for such a volume of cargo. Therefore, the authorities of the Murmansk Region are now determining the necessary work for railway network development, their cost, and implementation method. It is planned to increase the railway capacity, taking into account future cargo flows.

They want to include infrastructure development in the comprehensive Arctic development project being developed in Russia. This should allow for an increase in the volume of cargo transportation through the Murmansk port, including Belarusian goods.

Parallel to the port's modernization, the construction of the Belarusian terminal by a private investor is already underway. According to Artyom Kuksa, these works will take several more years. Until the new terminal is ready, Belarusian goods are planned to be transshipped through existing facilities. This should allow for setting up the necessary logistics and then switching it to the new terminal.

Murmansk authorities also want to change the tariff policy regarding Belarusian cargo senders. Currently, transporting goods to Baltic ports is cheaper than delivering them in the northern direction. The Murmansk Region expects to achieve a change in these calculations at the federal level, but, according to Kuksa, this will be a complex and lengthy process.

The northern route is already being used by Belarusian companies. In March 2026, the Murmansk bulk terminal, during difficult ice conditions in the Gulf of Finland, received and sent Belarusian potash to China, which previously went via the Baltic Sea.

The Murmansk commercial port is also included in the infrastructure of the Northern Sea Route, which opens an additional route for Belarusian exporters to supply goods to China and Southeast Asian countries.

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