The EBRD has signed a loan agreement under which it is to provide US$ 155 million in long-term financing to promote environmental safety in Russian seaports as part of a drive to establish internationally competitive port infrastructure and professional port management systems in these key gateways for Russia trade.

A 10-year EBRD loan to Rosmorport, the state body in charge of managing and developing Russian port infrastructure, will fund the acquisition of equipment and vessels needed to upgrade its environmental fleet, including those for collecting oil spillage and bilge water as well as those for maintenance dredging of the sea floor.

This will allow Rosmorport to provide a full range of environmental services to over a dozen of the ports under its economic management in accordance with international maritime safety and environmental standards.

It will also enable the body to improve and centralise the management of environmental protection services, a key goal for developing unified environmental standards in line with international best practices which could then be applied throughout the Russian port sector.

The Bank supports the efforts of Russia’s Ministry of Transport to define the responsibility for environmental issues in all the country’s ports. This is an area which is not yet clearly defined in existing Russian legislation.

The EBRD is therefore providing grant funding in parallel under its technical cooperation programme to the Ministry of Transport and Rosmorport to help strengthen the institutional framework of the Russian port sector.

As part of a Social and Environmental Action Plan agreed with the Bank, Rosmorport will draw up blueprints for the country’s ports on how to manage waste, dredging and biodiversity as well as response plans for all foreseeable types of major emergencies.

Rosmorport is responsible for navigation safety, channel maintenance, construction and maintenance of port infrastructure and providing services to vessels at Russian ports such as ice-breaking vessels and pilotage.