INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
destination for tourists hoping to witness the Northern Lights.In the heart of the city, Murmansk Commercial Seaport carries out coal
when you take tourists there, everyone sees this coal dust," Daria, a local tour guide born and raised in Murmansk, told The Moscow Times.At
Soviet Arctic during World War II, which are "all covered in coal dust.""This certainly raises questions not just among Murmansk residents,
A persistent problem for over a decade, the effects of coal dust pollution have become especially visible in recent months, said Daria
unpleasant appearance and harmful impacts on public health, this coal dust is a sign of the port's expanding activity as Russia pivots its
coal exports from Europe to Asia under wartime sanctions.After Chibis called on state prosecutors to investigate Murmansk seaport for
potential violations, port management acknowledged in early March the need to enhance the current dust control system, especially with the
We are also actively working with freight owners to technologically change the loading places so that these cargoes do not come to us at
in coal terminals like the one in Murmansk are exposed to especially high concentrations of dust, said Anton Lementuev, a native of the
to the ease with which fine particles can travel, he added.An open-pit coal mining engineer and an activist fighting coal industry pollution
Murmansk researchers found that the amount of coal dust in snow samples taken in the city exceeded the maximum allowed concentrations under
federal health and safety regulations.Coal dust contains heavy metals that are hazardous to humans with prolonged exposure, studies show
in the lungs and are not expelled
methods, such as anti-dust water cannons and windbreak nets that reduce the spread of dust by wind, these are only half-measures, Lementuev
warehouses with air purification, ensuring safety
expanding its operations.One of Russia's primary coal hubs, the terminal increased cargo shipments on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) by 23% in
2023.The port also loaded two huge Capesize vessels destined for Asia with coal last year, claiming they were the largest ships to ever
Russian coal industry amid the third year of the war on Ukraine.Navigating the stormOver a year and a half since a coal embargo of the
The sanctions have simply accelerated the process.According toNovak, Russia sold nearly 52% more coal to China and 43% more to India in 2023
compared to the previous year, while the share of BRICS countries in Russia's total coal exports surged by about 46% in 2023.Yet the
established with the EU.The message "There's dust in the north" written on a windowsill covered in coal dust in
Murmansk.t.me/groupmurmanskThe industry also faces the looming possibility of a future crisis, with losses expected at the end of 2024 due
current bet on Asian markets, whose environmental and social policies are projected to lag behind those in the West, will ensure stable
officials and senior managers at major firms are well aware that the global energy transition will reduce coal demand, Lanshina said, but
