Bronka Container Terminal is the biggest in the Baltic Sea, and has already accepted a call from CMA CGM, and is due another from the French liner in March of this year.
According to a report in Reuters, the new deepwater port in Saint Petersburg aims to become Russia's major hub for cargo and container shipping, despite an industry slump and the impact of Western sanctions on the country.
The new purpose-built port on the Gulf of Finland has set its sights on becoming a new hub for Russian cargoes, says CEO of the Port Bronka project Dmitry Mikhalchenko.
General Manager of Bronka Container Terminal Stefan Wilkens outlined how Port Bronka is in a better strategic position that the Port of St Petersburg because it is closer to the local rail network and motorway, as well as being not as deep into the Gulf of Finland as its regional competitor.
He said that the new facility is “open for all carriers” and with a draught of 14.4 m compared with 11 m at St Petersburg, Bronka is prepared for post-Panamax vessels.
The port received its first call last month when a CMA CGM vessel docked on 31 January and another CMA CGM vessel is due to call next month. Port Bronka and CMA CGM came into an agreement on container handling in December but as yet there is no commitment over container volumes, Wilkens added.
Dmitry Mikhalchenko, chief executive of Fenix LLC, Bronka port's owner and operator, acknowledged sanctions on Russia "are not having a positive impact".
Alexey Shukletsov, Fenix's executive director, said that Bronka, which cost over $400 million to develop and also includes cargo ship facilities, was targeting 80 million tonnes of volume and 1.5 million TEUs annually in the future, with initial trade pegged at 3.8 million tonnes and 350,000 TEUs annually.