The construction of Lavna port in the Murmansk region, including a specialized coal terminal, carries no risks due to the difficult period of the coal sector, TASS reported, citing Governor Andrey Chibis.

The regional authorities have refrained from publicly promoting many investment projects to avoid attracting sanctions from unfriendly countries, he added.

Russia's coal miners have faced loss of markets and difficulties in logistics due to sanctions. Coal companies suffered a balanced loss for the first time since the pandemic in 2020, and coal production also decreased, according to Rosstat.

The construction of the Lavna port will play an important role in achieving the strategic goal of shifting the export cargo base from the Baltic ports to domestic ports, the report said. In addition, the port is expected to open new export opportunities for the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including India.

In December 2022, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order to allocate about 37.7 billion rubles to complete the construction of a railway section 49.7 km from the Vykhodnoy station to the Lavna station, including a bridge over the Tuloma River and railway approaches to the port of Lavna.

The ultimate goal of the project is to create a year-round deep-water maritime hub - a cargo handling center, which will be integrated into the international North-South transport corridor.