FSB control named as condition for allowing big bags into the Kerch Strait

The Ministry of Transport has approved business proposals to resume the transportation of goods through the Kerch Strait in soft containers (big bags), Izvestia reported, citing a letter from the ministry.

Boris Titov, the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights, approached the Ministry of Transport with an initiative to lift the ban on the transportation of goods in big bags through the Kerch Strait. In his opinion, the ban has a negative impact on the macroeconomic situation in the country.

According to Valery Vasiliev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, the Kerch Strait can be called the most important transport artery for the transportation of mineral fertilizers, because several of the largest enterprises producing them operate in the south of the country.

Cargo carriers are asking to lift the ban on the transportation of products in soft containers, which are used to export fertilizers, among other things. The Ministry of Transport agreed with the business position on the condition that the packaging and storage of goods will be controlled by transport security units. The department has contacted the FSB, which has the final decision.

In April, the head of the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association, Andrei Guryev, reported that fertilizer production had grown by 40% over the past ten years, but exports fell in 2022.

Difficulties with the export of Russian fertilizers arose after the introduction of EU sanctions due to the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Removing barriers to supplies to the world market was mentioned in the text of the grain deal, but the conditions were not met. Russia withdrew from the grain deal in July.