• 2018 October 8

    Lavna terminal is under construction

    Coal terminal in Lavna is being prepared for construction work. The ground preparation and levelling is underway. IAA PortNews correspondent was watching rock shattering works on the western coast of the Kola Bay.

    The terms of the concession agreement for financing of Lavna port construction were approved by RF Government on 1 October 2018. The concession agreement provides for construction of a coal terminal, development of the existing railway infrastructure on the eastern coast of the Kola Bay and construction of new railway infrastructure of the western coast. Federal Marine and River Transport Agency is a concession grantor, ООО Commercial Sea Port “Lavna” is a concessionary, PAO State Transport Leasing Company a beneficiary. The agreement is to be signed within a month. 

    The concessionary will finance works on creation of sea infrastructure and coal terminal as well as completion of railway infrastructure at the approaches to the port. The concessionary's expenses on railway construction will be later covered by the concession grantor including coverage of interest capital raised (through the mechanism of concession grantor payment). The fee for the use of infrastructure and the terminal will be ensured by the project’s strategic investor (providing cargo base). Negotiations are underway. 

    Railway

    The construction of railway infrastructure with throughput capacity of 28 million tonnes is in full swing. Apart from a 46-kilometer long railway branch there is a plan to build three new stations, seven railway bridges, a motorway bridge and four overpasses as well as to develop the Vykhodnoy station.

    On 5 October 2018, IAA PortNews corresponded was watching the works on creation of a new bridge across the Tuloma river flowing into the Kola Bay. On the photo: piles are being driven to the depth of 76 meters.

    Ground preparation is underway

    Preparation of the ground is also in full swing. АО Yamaltransstroy, the contractor is preparing a ground for the coal terminal which will be more than two kilometers long.

    Two directed blasts remove part of the rocks and use the material for erection of an embankment. The photo of IAA PortNews correspondent shows rock shattering (15,000 cbm). 

    Coal transshipment facility Lavna will be one of the most advanced sea terminals in the country. The project provides for introduction of  a special technology allowing for minimization of impact on the environment. The port will have a closed conveyor, an aspiration system and a dust suppression system at all transfer points as well as a water sprinkling system at the coal storage yard. 

    A deep-water berth of 660 meters in length will be able to accommodate two large bulk carriers with deadweight of 20 to 150,000 tonnes. The Kola Bay is ice fee round the year, so the terminal will operate in all seasons without involvement of icebreakers. 

    Phase 1 of Lavna port (up to 9 million tonnes per year) is to be completed in December 2020. The contractors say that the works strictly comply with the schedule. When fully operational, the terminal will be able to handle 18 million tonnes of cargo per year. 

    The project was officially kicked off on 30 March 2018. The ceremony of laying a foundation capsule at the construction site marking the beginning of the project implementation was attended by RF Transport Minister, Murmansk Region Governor and Director General of STLC (See the photo of the foundation stone).  

    Nadezhda Malysheva