Murmansk could serve as transshipment hub for methanol exports to China
The development of the Murmansk Transport Hub (MTH) and Murmansk Port could be achieved through diversifying the cargo base, the director of infrastructure and project finance practice at audit and consulting firm Trust Technologies Igor Kuznetsov said.
"The first area for growth is methanol. We see many methanol production projects developing in Russia [with capacity] reaching 10 MM tonnes by 2030," Kuznetsov said during a strategic session in Murmansk on Tuesday.
Geographically, Murmansk Port could benefit from RusChem's project in the Nenets Autonomous District with 1.8 metric MMtpy capacity for subsequent methanol exports to China.
He also highlighted the importance of liquefied hydrocarbon gas (LNG) and stabilized gas condensate production and transshipment through Murmansk Port.
"These are Novatek's and Gazprom Dobycha Tambei's projects, field development. They could provide significant potential for cargo turnover growth, but again, this is mainly transshipment," Kuznetsov said.
Additional development directions for MTH and Murmansk Port include creating a ship repair cluster with shipbuilding capacity and developing the Northern Latitudinal Route.
Currently, Murmansk ports are reporting declining cargo volumes. Murmansk Commercial Seaport (managed by JSC Port Alliance), the largest stevedoring company in Russia's Arctic zone, handled 3.058 MM tonnes in 1Q 2025, down 19% compared to January–March 2024.
Murmansk Fishing Port has also seen reduced transshipment since early 2025, handling 45,300 tonnes in January–February, down 23.7% year-on-year.
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