Transit Stuck Locally

Since the start of operations at Ust-Luga the trend to relocate port handling outside big cities has expanded both in Russia and abroad. The neighbouring Finland has built a new cargo port Vuosaari to relieve the capital based Helsinki. In St. Petersburg port, territories are being cleared out (presumably, to vacate space for cottage construction). Ust-Luga this year has reached a volume exceeding one third of that handled in the Big port of St. Petersburg.
In South Russia, the project of relocating port facilities from Astrakhan to Olya has been discussed for years. But since the start of construction in Olya in 1993 and until now Astrakhan stevedores still do not see enough reasons to move to Olya. While there is no end to local discussions, Russia’s neighbours in the Caspian act and invest into infrastructure projects aimed at using the Russian transit potential, but without Russia’s participation.
Kazakhstan is continuing Aqtau port expansion project to be completed in 2014. To develop the country’s export potential Kazakhstan is investing into the railway linking it with Turkmenistan and Iran. Azerbaijan has started the construction of a new international sea port in Baku area to handle eventually 25 mn tons of cargo.
For the Russian program to relocate ports infrastructure outside cities to work out, the state needs strategy and tactics. And the business, apart from a calculation of the costs of such relocation, needs tariffs and guarantees.

News source: SeaNews