Improvement of regulations in the field of civil defence, protection of population and territories from emergencies, fire safety and water safety is among priority activities, Murmansk Region Governor Marina Kovtun said at the meeting of senior executives for civil defence and Murmansk branch of Single State Emergency Management System.
The meeting summarized the results of activities on prevention of emergency situation, civil defence activities, fire safety and water safety activities in 2018 and outlined the plans and the tasks for 2019.
The entire complex of tasks and problems of 2018 will be thoroughly analyzed. A plan of activities will be developed to enhance safety in the Murmansk Region. We are to complete two projects – creation of System-112 and Safe City. The latter is a challenging task we will certainly perform. That will let us ensure fast and efficient respond to emergencies”, said the head of the region.
The Murmansk Region has a special strategic status for Russia. Geographical location defined the Kola Peninsula as a priority element in ensuring the geopolitical interests of Russia in the north of Europe and the Arctic. Its non-freezing deep-water the Kola Bay became the main base of the Northern Fleet, and Murmansk sea port became the center of industrial fishing in the Barents Sea and the North Atlantic, and the starting point of the Arctic.
Today, Murmansk is the only port in European Russia with an open access to major oceanic routes. Port of Murmansk has direct access to the Northern Sea Route, that links the Atlantic to the Pacific through the arctic waters and provides access to natural resources of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East.
The Murmansk Region located at the junction of transnational routes and having reliable sea, railway, road and air links with industrial Russian regions can surely be called a northern gateway of Russia.
The Murmansk seaport is among ten biggest Russian ports in terms of cargo transshipment, and is the only Russian port capable of receiving vessels of up to 300 thousand tones deadweight any time of the year due to non-freezing deep water area of Kola Bay.
Cargoes being transshipped in the port of Murmansk include general cargoes, liquid cargoes as well as containers, fish and fish products. Total cargo turnover in 2017 was 51.29 million tones. Liquid cargoes prevail in the overall amount of transshipped goods.