Russia's Lavna Port to operate without coal dust - GTLK
MURMANSK. March 28 (Interfax) - The new Lavna port in the Murmansk region has been designed and built in compliance with environmental requirements and is equipped with systems to prevent coal dust emissions, State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK) CEO Evgeny Ditrikh said.
"I would like to highlight the port's high environmental standards. It was initially designed and is now equipped with all the necessary systems to meet the most modern environmental requirements. These include an aspiration system for coal dust extraction, a water spraying system and a water drainage system with purification," Ditrikh said during an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel (VGTRK).
Dust emissions have been significantly reduced, as coal is transported through enclosed galleries and enclosed transfer stations until it is loaded into ship holds, he said.
"Moreover, the port's current location is such that it is shielded from the winds, which, so to speak, frequently blow in this particular area of the Kola Bay, eliminating the risk of coal dust spreading," he said.
It was earlier reported that investment in the Lavna project exceeded 87 billion rubles, according to the Transport Ministry. The port began exporting coal on Thursday.
Lavna Port is a key component of the Murmansk Transport Hub. The port is an ice-free and deep-water one, with depths reaching 15 meters near the shore, allowing it to accommodate large-tonnage vessels all year round.
The planned annual throughput capacity of Lavna Port is 18 million tonnes, with potential expansion to 24 million tonnes in the future.
Railway infrastructure was constructed as part of the port's development - the Vykhodnoi-Lavna line with a bridge across the Kola Bay. The infrastructure was commissioned in December 2023, when the port received its first coal shipment.
The port's operator, Lavna Commercial Sea Port LLC, has been included in the U.S. sanctions list.
GTLK is the investor in the Lavna terminal complex, while Rostransmodernizatsiya was responsible for the project's near-port railway approaches and Russian Railways (RZD) handled the modernization of its lines for the distant approaches.
The issue of coal dust in Murmansk is particularly relevant due to the presence of the largest stevedoring company in Russia's Arctic zone - JSC Murmansk Commercial Sea Port (MCSP, part of Port Alliance) located within the city limits.
In August 2024, Murmansk region Governor Andrei Chibis proposed relocating coal transshipment from Murmansk to Lavna Port during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Given the significant social impact of coal dust pollution, Chibis suggested gradually replacing coal with other cargoes in Murmansk Port.
In response, MCSP announced that it would invest 1 billion rubles in improving its dust suppression system and reduce operations with dust-generating cargoes.
In 2017, coal dust emissions at Murmansk Port led to the initiation of a criminal case. The Russian Investigative Committee's Northwestern Transport Investigation Department launched an investigation under Article 246, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (violation of environmental protection rules during open coal transshipment by MCSP). The agency said that a significant accidental release of coal dust occurred during transshipment at MCSP, forming a dust cloud that moved towards the city and settled on residential buildings. The criminal case was later dropped.
