Russia Set to Develop Crimean Port Infrastructure

Russia is considering the aspects of reunification of Crimea with Russia within the framework of modernizing its Azov-Black Sea port infrastructure, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said.

“The existing and future port terminals in Crimea and Krasnodar Territory should complement each other; we should make maximum use of the advantages of each port, each logistics complex. In this connection, we need to consider which facilities are to be developed in Crimea and which – in Krasnodar Territory,” Putin said.

“Secondly, we need a detailed estimate of the modernisation and development plans for the Crimean ports to see how to load them most efficiently and make them part of Russia’s overall transport system. While doing this, we should not leave out environmental aspects: new construction sites and expanded port facilities should not harm the natural, recreational and spa potential of the peninsula.”

As explained by Putin, a major issue holding back the development of port terminals in the south of Russia is the limited capacity of the Krasnodar railway terminal.

Putin added that projects to develop transport infrastructure should be based on realistic loading forecasts and take into consideration the investment plans of private companies and Russia’s plans to locate in the region the Defence Ministry’s facilities and production facilities of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

“I would like to note that the volume of cargo handled by Russian ports is growing steadily despite the complicated situation on the world markets. Last year it grew by almost 4 percent, while in the first eight months of this year it went up by another 6.4 percent to reach 412 million tons. This increase is observed in all the seaports: in the south of the country, in the Caspian and Far East regions, and in the north there is some advance in the Arctic area as well.

The Azov-Black Sea Basin accounts for over a third of this volume. Ports here have been developing rapidly, with cargo transhipment volumes growing by 10.8 percent in eight months – this does not take into account the ports in Crimea and Sevastopol.

Our task is to maintain the positive dynamics, enhance the capacity of Russian ports, effectively speed up shipping and handling and create new high-quality jobs. to maintain the positive dynamics, enhance the capacity of Russian ports, effectively speed up shipping and handling and create new high-quality jobs,” stressed Putin.