EMEA News
Russian Far East Port Could Be Bunkering Centre
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, in the Russian Far East, could become a bunkering centre as more ships use the Northern Sea Route (NSR), Kamchatka Territory Governor Vladimir Ilyukhin said in a statement from the territory government.
The city was one port of call for the Northern Shipping Company dry cargo carrier Engineer Trubin, which recently travelled the Arctic route from port Sabetta.
"Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the only NSR port in the northern part of the Pacific coast, and it is an ice-free port," Ilyukhin said.
"Today, representatives of shipping companies in the Asia-Pacific region are quite active in their strivings to use this route, so, amid intense development of the Arctic shelf, this work is of state importance."
Ilyukhin said post-voyage repair, bunkering, and crew exchange can take place at Kamchatka.
Sabetta port, part of the Yamal LNG project, is starting construction this year and could become one of the biggest in the Russian Arctic, the Barents Observer reported in April.
The use of the NSR has been rising dramatically in recent years and it is said to be poised for even greater growth.
