A grain terminal of annual capacity of 2.4 million tons at the Tuapse Commercial Sea Port is to be launched today, February 8, 2010. The first vice-premier Viktor Zubkov is said to attend the ceremony, Novosti RIA reports.

The terminal construction project started in 2007. It may boost the Tuapse port transshipment volumes of grain, a broader range of bulk cargoes, ensuring environmental safety of the cargo complex.

The terminal facilities are capable unloading grain from rail cars, cleaning and sorting it. The grain will be stored in a silo complex of 102.000-ton capacity for further shipment by 50-ton DW vessels. The terminal’s daily throughput is about 5.000 tons. Investments in the project amounted to 1.82 billion rubles.

The vice-premier minister speaking recently at a meeting with journalists in Kursk said the new terminal would significantly increase the country's capacity to export grain on the Black Sea route. "In this regard we have “a narrow gap”, only the port of Novorossiysk. The new terminal can make the gap broaden and increase the export", Mr. Zubkov was quoted as saying.