MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Transport Ministry to solve any and all delays in the delivery of goods in Russia’s Far East regions as soon as possible.
"You’ve said that you need to set priorities straight, then set them. You can't leave entire regions without cement or other construction materials. You never know what might happen next, there can be another shortage soon. Sort out the mess as quickly as possible and report to the Prime Minister [Mikhail Mishustin]," the head of state said at a meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers, after hearing a report from Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev.
In his speech, the minister mentioned several possible measures to iron out the problem. In particular, he proposed prioritizing socially significant cargos when working with them in ports. He also put forward the notion of creating a special state shipping company that would take over part of such supplies.
Putin spotlighted the minister's comments about private stevedoring companies and the specifics of cooperation with them.
"I hope you will work with them properly," President Putin said.
Earlier media reports emerged that ports of the Primorsky Region were paralyzed by a surge in cargo traffic as transit from China mounted. As a result, thousands of containers with cargo bound for the Sakhalin, Chukotka, Kamchatka and Magadan Regions were stuck.