The north of the European part of Russia is rich in forests, fur and marine products. The subarctic climate makes the territory inaccessible, but northerners have their own diamond - the White Sea. Its ports are used for transportation both external and internal. Fish and algae are caught in the waters, and they are fished in marine animals. Along the White Sea rafting forest. So from ancient times it played a key role in the development of the northern region.
White Sea: ports
The Arctic Ocean incorporates several inland seas. Among them is the White Sea. Its ports are located in the four largest bays. But here, in the north, another name for the bay is widespread - the lip. Large ports of the White Sea are located in Dvina, Mezenskaya, Onega Bay and in Kandalaksha Gulf.
The road infrastructure in many places is still not well developed, so the harbors take on part of the transport tasks of the region. Seaports of the White Sea are Arkhangelsk, Mezen, Kandalaksha, Umba, Onega, Kem, Belomorsk, Vitino. Let us consider in more detail the largest of them.
Major ports of the Arkhangelsk region: Arkhangelsk, Mezen, Onega
Arkhangelsk is not only the administrative center of the region and the capital of Pomor, but also the oldest port city in Russia. It is the largest of all the harbors of the White Sea - its capacity allows to process 4.5 million tons of cargo annually. The length of the berths is 3.3 km, the warehouse area is 292 thousand square meters.
For many years, the marina at Arkhangelsk was the only one from where trade with other countries was carried out. Only after the foundation of St. Petersburg and the emergence of the St. Petersburg port, its cross-country ability decreased sharply: Peter the Great forced the transfer of trade with foreign countries from Arkhangelsk to St. Petersburg. But during the Second World War, when Leningrad was seized by the blockade, it was the Arkhangelsk port that accepted the assistance of the Allied states on Lend-Lease.
In addition to Arkhangelsk, the Mezensky port is also located in the region, which is 45 km from the confluence of the Mezen river into the White Sea. It appeared in 1872, but still does not have a railway connection with the country's transport infrastructure. Navigation here takes 5 months: from June to October. The Mezensky port is rapidly losing its position in the transportation of goods: if in 1978 it processed more than 178 thousand tons in a year, then after 30 years - a little more than 20 thousand. The minimum was fixed in 2015 - then the port was able to accept and process only 8, 7 thousand tons of various cargoes.
Onega is one of the largest ports. It is located on the right bank of the Onega River, which flows into the White Sea. Ports in these parts mainly work only in the navigation period. Units accept goods year-round. Onega port was no exception - it is available for ships from May to early November.
Founded onega port Catherine II in 1781. From that moment until the collapse of the USSR, it was actively developing, performing not only the function of processing goods, but was also used to transport passengers by sea and river transport.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, freight turnover and port attendance fell sharply: if in 1980 300 ships entered the port, in 2010 it received only 40.
Port of Murmansk Region - Kandalaksha
The port city of Kandalaksha is located on the east coast of Kandalaksha Bay, 200 km south of Murmansk. The status of the city was assigned to this settlement in 1938, although the first mention of it dates back to the eleventh century. The harbor is home to over 31, 000 people. Kandalaksha, having at its disposal a seaport, is also a major railway junction.
Navigation here, despite the harsh climate, is year-round. The port is large, has 5 universal berths, and all of them are equipped with rail and road entrances for convenience. There are many storage areas. The main cargo that the port receives is coal.
