The list of large-scale infrastructure projects left in limbo has not changed a lot this year though some of them have moved up a little. Meanwhile, the list of “Russian infrastructure phantoms” is likely to extend in 2015 due to complicated foreign policy and economic situation.

The authorities of Murmansk Oblast and Kamchatka Krai have decided to give the Trans-Siberian Railway a northern alternative by establishing a container line between the ports of Murmansk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It is estimated that transportation of containers on the Northern Sea Route would be cheaper with less transit time than that on Trans-Siberian route.

The demand for qualified personnel in the maritime and river transport sector exceeds supply, but there is no need to worry about an exodus of experienced, qualified seafarers to foreign flagged ships. The level of training in the industry universities is growing, the businesses still rely on their own training programs.

Having announced the cancellation of the South Stream project, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the acceleration of LNG projects in Russia. Yet, the majority of them exist only on paper so far.

Transneft is looking into distinguishing of Ust-Luga as a direction for pumping high sulphur oil to unload Primorsk. The decision can be opposed by high sulphur oil suppliers.

The process of transocean tonnage consolidation has stabilized freight rates of Panamax\Supramax ships carrying mineral fertilizers and coal from the ports of Saint-Petersburg, Ust-Luga and Vysotsk.

Sanctions, low energy prices and increasing competition in LNG market make Russia think hard about optimization of Arctic activities regulations and facilitation of import substitution. There are proposals to establish a Ministry for Arctic Development and to integrate all northern regions into a single Arctic cluster.

Russian shipbuilding can be encouraged by the sanctions as it is to develop in the hi-tech niche, say the experts of Krylov State Research Center engaged in development of a wide range of vessels and marine equipment including those to replace the foreign counterparts. Meanwhile, shipbuilding localization does not exceed 10-15% today.

Operations at the Port of Taganrog remain sluggish amid growth in other ports of the regional basin. The port operators say the reason is quite simple: sediments deposition reduced depth of its access channel. If this problem remains unsolved, the consequences will be even more irreversible for the port and the city.

Nowadays, a pilot may come on board with only an iPad – thanks to Transas Pilot PRO – a software solution developed by Transas and supporting almost the entire range of Apple’s iOS-based iPad family of tablets, including the latest iPad Air, iPad Mini and Apple iOS 8.