Ports in the North-West of Russia may face a “significant reduction” in the transshipment of foreign trade goods due to intensified ship inspections, which are being carried out by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The issue has become particularly acute in the face of severe ice conditions in the Gulf of Finland, which have sharply slowed down the passage of ships in the harbors. The government was warned about this by the Association of Sea Trade Ports (ASOP).
In a letter addressed to Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin, a copy of which was reviewed by RBC, the head of ASOP, Serik Zhusupov, noted that the reduction in the export flow will negatively affect not only the ports themselves, but also the work of Russian Railways, Russian cargo owners and the country’s economy as a whole. He stressed that the organization “fully supports” the measures provided for by the presidential decree, but proposes to introduce a temporary moratorium on conducting inspections of the underwater part of ships carrying non-hazardous cargo (containers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, fertilizers, coal, etc.) in ice conditions (The Moscow Times).
