Most of Norilsk Nickel’s cargo traffic is concentrated on the western part of the North Sea route, but Ravil Nasybullovthe director of the company’s logistics department, does not rule out the possibility that commodity flows will go east, which would require the use of icebreakers on the route, reports the Russian special publication portnews.
And if the company itself is not subject to sanctions, European contractors refuse to cooperate with Russian producers.
Therefore, the Finnish state railway VR said that from 2023, the transportation of Russian cargo will be stopped. Currently, all of Norilsk Nickel’s cargo between the Russian and Finnish divisions is transported by rail. These VR decisions force the Russians to look for alternative logistics routes at least until 2023.
In addition to geopolitical turbulence, Russia’s Arctic region has seen increased capacity and shipping on one of the region’s largest rivers, the Yenisei.
The growth of shipping is boosted by a number of new industrial projects on the Taymyr peninsula, several of which are operated by Nornickel.
A company he owns and manages by Vladimir Potan, is now investing up to 26 billion rubles (300 million euros) in the modernization of local infrastructure. It includes a new logistics center.
This will have a positive effect on the local delivery process, the company representative said Nikolai Utkin said at the opening of the new center.
“It’s a new direction, a production digitization project,” he said.
Unlike many other large Russian industrial companies, Nornickel is not sanctioned by the international community, and shipments of nickel and other precious metals have continued to reach Western manufacturers.
Transportation issues are crucially important today, Utkin emphasizes.
“Organizing and building efficient logistics chains has always been a priority for us, after all, we are in a remote area, where conditions for transporting goods are complicated and navigation time is limited – it has required smooth and laborious work.”
The ongoing development projects in the Nornickel area include the construction of a new refining plant in Talnakh and the extensive renovation program of the city of Norilsk.
HT
Source: The Nordic Page