Representatives of companies that transport fertilizers in soft containers (big bags) asked the Russian Ministry of Transport to allow them to continue transporting non-explosive cargo through the ports of Azov using the same route. The publication writes about it”Kommersant“. In March, this route was banned due to the impossibility of crossing the Kerch Strait. The business community turned to business ombudsman Boris Titov for help.
We are talking mainly about the transportation of Russian and Belarusian fertilizers between 3.5 and 4 million tons. Due to the congestion in this direction, it is not possible to route the goods through Novorossiysk. The Ministry of Transport supported the proposal, subject to increased security measures. Analysts believe that the situation in Black Sea ports will not change for the better, so alternative routes should be revived.
Company representatives applied to the Ministry of Transport at the end of July, noting that the ban on transit through the Kerch Strait was introduced unreasonably and without consulting the business community. The ban was imposed after the restoration of the Crimean bridge, which was damaged by a truck explosion in October 2022. In July, the bridge was attacked again, this time by drones, and the road section was damaged.
The main cargo transported in flexible containers is Russian and Belarusian fertilizers. Fertilizer producers reported that about 10% of Russia’s exports, or about 3.5 million tons, were sent to this route.
Alexander Konovalenko, Managing Director of TransServiceTerminal-South, explained that the annual cargo volume in flexible containers covered by the ban is approximately 3.7 million tons. The list of prohibited goods also includes edible soda ash, caustic soda, rubber, blue vitriol, various types of propylene, pellets, timber industry products and others.
Currently, it is not possible to transport Grodnoazot, Russian Hydrogen, Bashkirskaya Soda and Belaruskali products through the Kerch Strait. Some of these loads are routed through Novorossiysk, but the infrastructure in this direction is limited.
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