The port city of Magadan is located in the Far East, on the shore of the Tauisk Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk. It is called the “Kolyma Gate”, because the entire cargo flow destined for the Kolyma Territory goes through the port. The city owes its birth to the port. Thanks to him, most of the goods and all fuel are delivered, without which the city would not have survived in severe Kolyma winters.
The formation of the port city
The port city of Magadan was founded in 1929 as a village for workers in the extraction of gold and other minerals in the Kolyma Territory. The need to build a port for the development of this almost uninhabited land, rich in minerals, was acute. This was due to remoteness, inaccessibility and lack of railway. The only way to deliver goods is by sea. The first pier was built in 1932. In 1933, the first crib was set up, which made it possible for one vessel to moor. The second pier, 77 meters long, was built in 1935.
Initially, the port was called Nagaevo, and only in 1977 it received a new name - the commercial seaport of Magadan. Its significance for the region is difficult to overestimate. After all, it is by sea that 99% of the cargo is delivered to the Kolyma Territory, including 100% liquid and solid fuels, building materials and equipment.
Port location
The port of Magadan is surrounded by hills on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk, in its northern part - Nagaev Bay. It is located on Tauiskaya Bay, on the Staritsky Isthmus connecting the mainland and the peninsula. The latter is located between two bays - Gertner and Nagaev. The bay shore is pressed into the Tauiskaya Bay between Cape Sery and Chirikova. Its width is 10 km in the middle and gradually narrows to 3 km to the exit. The length of the bay is 17 km. Depth is 25-28 meters. All parameters indicate that the maneuvering of vessels is not constrained by anything.
The currents in the bay area are weak, tidal, the rivers do not flow into it, and there is no siltation. The ice period lasts almost 200 days. Year-round navigation: in winter it is provided by icebreakers, one of which is called "Magadan".
Port feature
Today, the port has 13 berths, which include: 3 for oil products, 2 for cargo containers, 8 for other cargoes. The total length of the berths is 1989 meters. The sea area is 17.38 km 2, the port area is 32 ha. Within these borders, the port has existed since the 80s of the twentieth century, together with port infrastructure. The capacity of the Magadan port is 2790 thousand tons, of which 200 thousand are bulk. Cargo turnover - 1300 thousand tons.
The port is currently used at half its capacity. The peak of cargo turnover occurred in the 80s of the twentieth century and amounted to over four million tons. The fact is that the port was designed and built in the 60s. Calculation of its capacity was carried out for goods of completely different categories, the development of a harsh region, providing the necessary conditions for its residents. Today, the goals are completely different. But even in our time, the port is ready to process the cargo of all items.
Seaport today
The port is connected to the Kolyma Krai by the M-504 Kolyma motorway with a length of 2167 km. It passes through the significant villages of the region and Yakutia, connects the city with the mainland. There is no railroad, characteristic of most ports. Most of the cargo flow is transported during the navigation period.
Large stevedoring companies operate in the Magadan seaport. OJSC "Magadan Commercial Sea Port" carries out the processing of dry cargo. Two companies OJSC Kolymtransneft and LLC Tosmar process oil cargo. All work in the port is mechanized. For this, 15 gantry cranes operate, with a lifting capacity of 10 to 40 tons.
Large berth containers are unloaded at berth No. 5, special loaders are used here, the carrying capacity of which is 30.5 tons. There are universal loaders, crawler and truck cranes. In the port of Magadan, production and auxiliary units operate, such as repair shops, an electric workshop, a motor depot, a mechanized transshipment complex, and an ASTR section.
