MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. The Arkhangelsk Region proposes to establish benefits for Arctic stevedores for the development of port infrastructures, region's Deputy Minister of Economic, Industry and Science Viktoria Pestova said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Stevedores are specialists or organizations responsible for loading and unloading at ports.
"Let's take stevedores in the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone, port operators. They actually don't have any targeted government support. They are not regulated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and do not have other support measures [either]," she said. "We [propose] some kind of support specifically for stevedores in the Arctic, because the Arctic, with its climatic conditions, is much harsher, more expensive, and is taking longer time. That could be some government support for the purchase of specialized equipment."
She spoke about the port of Arkhangelsk, where container shipments had increased dramatically over the past two years, and shipping from Arkhangelsk had become part of the Arctic Express No. 1 project. In 2023, there was one export voyage, 380 containers were uploaded, and in 2024 there were ten export-import voyages (five export and five import), and 13,500 20-foot containers were handled. Noteworthy, the port's operations is general cargo, while working with containers requires special equipment.
"That was not easy. I believe that, given the facilities available at our terminals, we have coped well with this task," she added. "They [stevedores] have been investing own money in a container line, they are expanding container terminals, purchasing equipment - private funding only. If [there is] some small support from the state, then, I think, this process will develop faster.