# Murmansk (RU MMK)

**UN/LOCODE:** RU MMK  
**Country:** Russia  
**Water Body:** Barents Sea; Arctic Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Large  
**Harbor Type:** River (Natural)  
**GPS:** 68.9833, 33.0500

Founded in 1916 as the Russian Empire's last new city, Murmansk (RU MMK) became the Soviet Union's main Arctic port and remains ice-free year-round thanks to the Gulf Stream. Its cargo profile is firmly bulk-led: coal, oil and oil products, and fish dominate, while container traffic plays only a minor role. The commercial port handled about 14.0 million tonnes in 2024, down nearly 20 percent, with coal falling to roughly 12 million tonnes. The port is the western gateway to the Northern Sea Route, which mainly carries crude oil, coal and iron ore toward Asia. The neighbouring Lavna coal port, opened in March 2025, shipped only about one million tonnes in 2025 – far below its 18-million-tonne design capacity – as coal exports through the region are barely profitable at current prices. Hinterland links run via the October Railway to St Petersburg and the Russian interior. For containerised cargo to northwest Russia, St Petersburg and Ust-Luga are the more practical alternatives.

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/murmansk-port-ru-mmk](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/murmansk-port-ru-mmk)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/murmansk-port-ru-mmk](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/murmansk-port-ru-mmk)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/murmansk-port-ru-mmk/llm-summary?lang=en*