The Port of Novorossiysk is Russia’s main port on the Black Sea. Located on the shores of the Tsemess Bay, it is on the site of an ancient Greek colony called Bata that was important in the grain trade. Merchants from Genoa had a trade post at Novorossiysk in the Middle Ages.
Port History
When the Black Sea coast was ceded to Russia after the Russo-Turkish War, it became a base for their Black Sea Fleet in 1838. The Port of Novorossiysk became an important link in Russia’s chain of forts on the Black Sea coast. The city developed quickly during the 19th Century, and it became the capital of Russia’s smallest governorate.
It was briefly the base for the White Army and the escape point for many White Army refugees to Constantinople. The town was also occupied briefly by German troops in 1942, but a small group of Soviet soldiers protected enough of the town to prevent Germany’s use of the port. The Port of Novorossiysk is one of twelve cities designated as a Hero City for its heroism during World War II.
In 2003, Russia’s President Putin signed a decree establishing a modern naval base for Russia’s Black Sea fleet and allocated almost $500 billion US to construct a new base that will be finished in 2012.
Port Commerce
Today’s Port of Novorossiysk is a large, universal port and the largest commercial port in south Russia. Open for business all year, contains ample storage and cargo-handling space and excellent port support services. Priority is give to handling of containers and shipment of timber goods. The port’s strategic development plan will increase port capacity to handle as many as 350 thousand TEUs of containerized cargo and 3 million cubic meters of timber per year.
The Port of Novorossiysk covers 65 hectares, 51 hectares devoted to timber and general cargo and 14 hectares devoted to containerized cargo. Quays of 1.4 kilometers contain 11 berths at depths from 5.6 to 13.9 meters. The port yards contain 7.5 kilometers of railway and roads to handle 100 automobiles a day.
In 1992, the joint-stock company NLE Novoroslesexport was formed to develop and market the Port of Novorossiysk. Its container terminal handled 4.3 million tons in 351 thousand TEUs of containerized cargo in 2007. In the same year, the Port of Novorossiysk also handled over 2 million cubic meters of timber and almost 405 thousand tons of other cargo.
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