Nornickel can involve ports of North Africa and eastern part of NSR for its cargo transportation

Major cargo flow have been running so far along the western part NSR via the port of Murmansk

The bulk MMC Norilsk Nickel’s cargo turnover is concentrated in the western part of the Northern Sea Route but Ravil Nasybbulov, Director of Nornickel’s Logistic Department, does not rule out the redirection of cargo flows eastwards which is to require the involvement of icebreakers on the route, IAA PortNews correspondent reports from the external meeting in the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum “Prospects of Year-Round Navigation on the Northern Sea Route”.

“All the products flow from Murmansk to the European markets. When it comes to the eastern corridor, it is currently not demanded that much but I do not rule out the eastward pivot of the flow. The company is considering a possibility of organizing handling in the North Africa ports if the European ports and markets are closed,” he said.

Over the past five years, cargo traffic volume of Norilsk Nickel on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) has totaled 1.3-1.5 million tonnes annually. These are primarily social goods, food products, material and technical resources necessary to support enterprises located in the Norilsk industrial region, as well as production products (copper matte, copper products, gas condensate and other goods).

Previously the company said that after the completion of large investment projects at manufacturing enterprises the volume of nickel-copper matte transportation is expected to be increased by 100-200,000 tonnes per year, approximately from 2025.

MMC Norilsk Nickel is a diversified mining and metallurgical company, the world’s largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel and a major producer of platinum and copper. The company also produces cobalt, rhodium, silver, gold, iridium, ruthenium, selenium, tellurium, sulphur and other products. The production units of Norilsk Nickel Group are located at the Norilsk Industrial District, on the Kola Peninsula and Zabaykalsky Krai in Russia as well as in Finland and South Africa.

Norilsk Nickel’s fleet consists of six ice-class sea-going vessels: five dry cargo ships and one tanker.

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