Russia turns to Arctic port used by WWII convoys to export grain as Black Sea trade stalls - Reuters
Russia has begun loading grain for export at the Arctic port of Murmansk for the first time, seeking an alternative to Black Sea shipping routes disrupted by the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported on October 28.
Murmansk Commercial Seaport and Russian grain trader Demetra Holding announced that an initial 3,400 metric tons of grain from Russia's agricultural regions were being loaded onto a vessel.
According to shipping data and a market source cited by Reuters, the vessel is expected to carry approximately 28,000 metric tons of wheat to Casablanca, Morocco.
The port lies nearly 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) north of Moscow, close to Norway. During World War II, Allied convoys used Murmansk to deliver supplies to the Soviet Union.
Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, has been seeking new routes after attacks on ports and vessels disrupted agricultural shipping in the Black Sea.
Moscow has increasingly redirected grain exports to Baltic Sea ports, which handled 1.2 million metric tons in September — more than 60% of Russia's seaborne grain shipments that month, according to Reuters.
Russian officials have also raised concerns about potential security risks in the Baltic Sea, where all coastal countries except Russia are NATO members.
The Kremlin has rejected efforts to revive a Black Sea grain shipping agreement, which Russia withdrew from in 2023.
The new Murmansk shipment illustrates how the war is reshaping Russia's export routes, pushing agricultural trade toward ports far from its traditional southern shipping hubs.